Evans: I couldn't believe my eyes when Solberg ran off the road

Welsh driver Elfyn Evans was as stunned as everyone watching on Sunday afternoon when his title rival Oliver Solberg drove through bushes and off the track during the final Power Stage of Rally Sardinia. The Swedish driver's mistake cost him the world championship, while it handed Evans — who had led the standings since April — his first world title.

Waiting for confirmation

After finishing their own run, which closed out both the rally and the season, Evans and co-driver Scott Martin watched alongside other crews to see which Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 crew would post the fastest time in their internal battle. Evans admitted he wasn't confident he had done enough, saying his own stage had not been clean enough to go as fast as needed. Seeing Solberg go off so close to the finish left him unable to believe what he was seeing.

Because Solberg had been 1.9 seconds faster at the last split time, Evans held off on celebrating, wanting confirmation before reacting. He said he initially had doubts, partly because his father, Gwyndaf Evans, began celebrating very early, which felt premature. Evans said he now feels mostly relief rather than pure excitement.

Seventh Toyota champion

Evans became the seventh Toyota driver in WRC history to win the world title. He said he does not expect the achievement to change his life much, given he has already had a long and successful career, though reaching this goal was the main objective. He credited the team and his family for the achievement, and highlighted the importance of co-driver Scott Martin's contribution in recent years.

Evans said the pursuit of the title had taken years, noting his team had not always been the outright fastest but had rarely been far off. He had finished runner-up in the WRC championship five times during his career before finally putting it all together this season.