WRC Sardinia: Solberg storms to the lead to boost title chances

Oliver Solberg seized the Rally Italy Sardinia lead from Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville on Saturday morning, sparking excitement around his World Rally Championship title aspirations. Starting 12.3 seconds behind overnight leader Neuville, Solberg outpaced the field, securing two of the three stages to build a 2.7-second advantage. This surge further narrowed the gap to championship leader Elfyn Evans, who now trails Solberg by four points heading into the afternoon loop.

The rally and title race took a dramatic turn during the 24.14km Lerno - Sa Conchedda - Monti di Ala stage, as Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux suffered a front-left tyre puncture, losing a minute and dropping to fifth overall. Fourmaux's team-mate Thierry Neuville claimed the stage win, extending his lead to 14.4 seconds over Solberg.

Despite the setback, Solberg displayed remarkable determination, winning the following stage to drop the gap to 3.3 seconds. Unfazed by Solberg's speed, Neuville remained relaxed, stating, "The rally is still long and we're quite relaxed." Solberg continued his charge, winning stage 10 and widening the gap to 6.0 seconds. Reigning world champion Sebastien Ogier climbed to third, followed by recovering Fourmaux in fourth.

Sami Pajari finished fifth, while reigning champion Elfyn Evans struggled to make progress due to road position challenges. Josh McErlean and Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top 10, with M-Sport’s Jon Armstrong and Martins Sesks completing the top 10. Hyundai driver Daniel Sordo rejoined the rally after a crash on Friday, but his performance was limited due to back pain.