Rally Chile winner Oliver Solberg feels he could’ve won the last three World Rally Championship rounds, but fortune finally favored him last week.
Solberg closed to 21 points behind points leader Elfyn Evans, and four behind fellow Toyota team-mate Sami Pajari, scoring 34 points in Concepción.
Although Solberg has won more stages than anyone in 2026, and scored more Super Sunday points, Chile was the Swede’s first victory since the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally.
“It’s a big relief,” he told DirtFish. “I had a small watering in my eyes after the stage because, you know, you work so hard, you try so hard. And I really feel we’ve been so close this year many times, you know, on a few rallies.
“There’s been a few mistakes on my own and then a few bad luck rallies with little details that hasn’t really gone together, and finally this weekend I can just do what I always do and just drive and have fun and and everything just works, you know?
“And that feeling was so calming in the car, gave me a lot of confidence since already Friday and it was… yeah, just an incredible weekend.”
Solberg led for all but one of the stages last weekend
Solberg was the early championship leader after victory in Monte Carlo, but began to drop back after a series of mistakes in successive rallies in Croatia, Canarias, Japan and then Greece.
He pinpoints his error on the Acropolis as a turning point for recognizing that something needed to change.
“It was difficult, of course,” Solberg said. “I think Greece was the tipping point of, you know, we really had to do something. And yeah, when I came to Estonia, I was just trying to be patient, reset a little bit, and we got good, solid points there that weekend.
“And Finland, I really feel we deserve to win the rally. You know, we lost a minute in the rain compared to Sami and Séb [Ogier], and we lost the rally with 16 seconds, I think [sic 26 seconds]. So there you go.
“And same in Paraguay, we’re leading, car stopped. But every time we’ve got maximum Sunday points, you know, and powerstage points. And even today we got nine points. So I really feel, you know, we’ve been so close many times. And same in Africa, you know, just the little details needs to come together.
“I think patience has been the biggest learning key from the year. The speed is not a problem, and how to manage a rally is not a problem. I think just when small details don’t work your way, to be patient and wait for things to happen and go your way. That’s more what I’ve learned very much and very extensively this year.”
Solberg always maintained he was in the championship race even when results started to drift away, and is now firmly in contention with just two events to go.
He now has three WRC victories like Pajari, who won the three events prior to Paraguay. Solberg believes he had the pace and potential to win Finland and Paraguay, however.
“There were many times this year I had this feeling [that I could win] and Finland I had that feeling too, and Paraguay. The last three rallies now have been the same feeling and I feel like I could have won all three to be honest.
“But you know there you go, but I think the feeling and and learning the patience and putting all the pieces together really makes it important.
Addressing his championship shot, Solberg added: “Well thanks to my speed also this year it saved me to be honest. I mean you’ve got to take the good from the bad also sometimes and be happy with it.
“But yeah, it’s been just a great weekend with a bit of luck and it’s nice that I have some too, and and it’s not too far away now! To be honest everything is possible.”
