The Canary Islands Rally awarded the nine-time world champion Sébastien Ogier, winner for the first time this season, which will see him competing part-time again. The French driver’s victory, however, seemed in doubt at the end due to the great comeback of Oliver Solberg, who, with two stages remaining, had closed the gap to two seconds. A hope, that of jumping to the top of the general classification, which, however, definitively vanished due to an unexpected error.
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Super Sunday Chronicle
The first half of Super Sunday began with Oliver Solberg as the true protagonist: the Swede indeed recorded the best time in both SS15 and SS16, recovering a full two seconds in the general classification on Sébastien Ogier, who was 2nd and 3rd in the respective stages. Consequently, with a gap of two seconds between the two drivers, the final stages would have been decisive for Solberg’s definitive comeback against the nine-time world champion, at least until the sensational twist: in SS17, the Scandinavian lost control of the Toyota, impacting against the barriers of protection, unexpectedly ending his Super Sunday and the Spanish rally.
Where it all went wrong for Solberg 😔 #WRC | #RallyIslasCanarias 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/AdoJUFNiUN
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— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) April 26, 2026
In a finish similar to what was seen in Croatia to Neuville’s disadvantage, Evans and Pajari recovered a position in the general classification, moving up to second and third place on the eve of the Power Stage, at the end of which Ogier managed his leadership, securing his first seasonal victory in his part-time championship. For the Frenchman, this is his first victory since the 2025 Rally Japan, in a positive weekend for his compatriot Yohan Rossel in WRC2, who once again brings Lancia to the top step of the podium after the last Rally Croatia.
Canary Islands Rally 2026, final standings (top-10)
| POS. | DRIVER | CAR | TIME/GAP |
| 1 | Sébastien Ogier | Toyota | 2:43:18.9 |
| 2 | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +19.9 |
| 3 | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +1:40.8 |
| 4 | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +1:51.2 |
| 5 | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +3:29.5 |
| 6 | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +3:41.0 |
| 7 | Dani Sordo | Hyundai | +3:57.7 |
| 8 | Joshua McErlean | Ford | +5:45.4 |
| 9 | Yohan Rossel | Lancia (WRC2) | +7:24.3 |
| 10 | Alejandro Cachon | Toyota (WRC2) | +7:49.4 |
Next event
After the stages in the spectacular setting of the Canary Islands, the WRC will make a short transfer in two weeks to the Iberian Peninsula, but outside Spanish borders: from May 7 to 10, in fact, the Rally of Portugal, the sixth round of the championship, will take place on gravel tracks, unlike those seen this weekend on asphalt.
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