Evans’ın WRC şampiyonluğu Sardinya’daki son güne kaldı

Elfyn Evans was a World Rally Championship runner-up in 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025

Elfyn Evans' hopes of claiming a first World Rally Championship (WRC) crown remain in the balance after a dramatic Saturday in Sardinia.

Sweden's Oliver Solberg leads the season-ending Rally Italia Sardegna and is the main threat to the Welshman, who has finished as runner-up five times in the past six years.

Evans started the day in sixth place and rose as high as fourth before having to settle for fifth spot going into Sunday's finale.

With four stages to come - and two sets of five, four, three, two and one bonus points - Evans has a six-point gap over his Toyota team-mate in the virtual standings.

"Today has been a tough day to try and hang in there with Oliver going so fast at the front," said Evans.

"We have a long way to go; we have a tough day tomorrow. It is still wide open."

The five titles that got away as Evans seeks WRC glory

Evans on track for WRC title despite tough day

It was the fortunes of Hyundai duo Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux that caused the drama.

The retirement of Neuville on stage 11 moved Evans up to fifth, adding a potential two championship points.

A second puncture of the day for Fourmaux then saw the 37-year-old Welsh driver from Dolgellau move up to fourth position.

At that point, a lead of eight points over Solberg in the provisional championship standings seemed to hand the advantage to Evans and co-driver Scott Martin.

However, Fourmaux then set the fastest time on the final stage of the day to reclaim fourth spot - and put the title race very much back in the balance.

"Of course now we have to try and change the strategy a bit," added Evans.

"I don't think it will be straightforward tomorrow."

Eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier lies second, 33.6 seconds behind Solberg, with Sami Pajari - who still retains an outside chance of winning the title - in third position.

Evans trails fourth-placed Fourmaux by just 6.4 seconds, and further changes to the top five positions cannot be ruled out on the final day.

Takamoto Katsuta is, however, more than three minutes behind his Welsh Toyota team-mate in sixth, ahead of M-Sport Ford's Irish duo Jon Armstrong and Josh McErlean.

Armstrong, who has been struggling with understeer, is seventh while McErlean dropped to eighth after hitting a tree.

Evans will guarantee himself a first WRC title if he collects 19 points from the maximum 35 available to any one driver over a rally weekend.

He has averaged 19.2 points per event this season.

The winner of the rally will collect 25 points, with 17 for second, 15 for third and so on down to one for 10th place.

A further five, four, three, two and one points are available for the five quickest drivers over Sunday's four stages, with the same bonuses awarded for the fastest times on the final Power Stage.

That means any of these five scenarios would guarantee Evans his first world title.

Second overall plus at least two Sunday bonus points

Third overall plus at least four bonus points

Fourth overall plus at least seven bonus points

Fifth overall plus at least nine bonus points

If, on the other hand, Evans fails to collect 19 points this weekend, that does not mean his dream is over, but it does open the door for his rivals.

Pajari must outscore championship leader Evans by at least 18 points - in addition to gaining four more than Solberg - to take the title.

If the Finnish driver - who has won three of the past four rallies - were to take the maximum 35 points, that would mean Evans could score no more than 18.

Those returns would see the Toyota pair tied on 248 points and make Pajari champion by virtue of four rally victories this season compared to the Welshman's two.

Solberg, winner of the previous rally in Chile, needs to score at least 22 points more than Evans and five more than Pajari to take the title.

If he were to enjoy a maximum 35-point weekend and Evans picked up 15, the pair would be level on 244 points, making the Swede world champion on countback with three rally victories.

The rally continues with a further 4 stages before the winner - and the 2026 World Rally champion - is crowned on Sunday afternoon.

SS15: Sassari - Argentiera 1, 7.10km (09:05 BST)

SS17: Wolf Power Stage, Sassari - Argentiera 1, 7.10km (13:15 BST)

BBC to broadcast World Rally Championship from 2027

Kaynak: BBC · Özgün metin İngilizcedir.