His is a situation so very few of us on the planet can understand.
Travelling the world for a full season of rallying is a privilege and a dream inaccessible to so many of us. It’s a world that we perceive to have no drawbacks.
But what we don’t see is the hard work and turmoil that goes hand in hand with this utopia. The reality that, no matter what you do, you’re probably going to be scrutinized.
Oliver Solberg wouldn’t have it any other way. As he’ll repeatedly tell you, rallying is his life. But perhaps more than most, he finds himself in a near no-win situation in 2025 – competing at a level (WRC2) many recognize he is essentially too good for.
So beyond claiming the title he’s chased for the last two years, how does Solberg actually win in 2025? Even if he does grab the WRC2 title, will he get the recognition that would normally be attached? Or will a championship title simply be what everyone expects as a minimum?
This pressure is part and parcel of being an elite sportsperson, and it’s a reality any rally driver like Solberg is more than willing to accept.
But rally drivers are human beings, too. And after a frank and honest interview with the Swede just after he’d won WRC2 at his home round of the WRC for the third year in succession, it’s something I’ve found myself thinking about a lot. It can’t be easy, mentally, to walk in Solberg’s shoes just now.
Solberg is almost expected to win each event he starts
Even before a wheel was turned in anger in Umeå, the Solberg narrative had been predetermined. If he wins – great, who else really stood a chance? If he doesn’t win – how on earth did he manage to mess it up?
It’s every driver’s prerogative to choose how much attention, or value, they place on such external expectation and pressure, but it’s nevertheless not an enviable position to be in; to essentially be in-line for zero credit, regardless of your performance.
“Yeah, for sure [winning is] much easier said than done, especially with the new tires and the new car,” Solberg told DirtFish. “And it’s not just to jump into it, but to get a feeling already this good in Monte Carlo and here and getting a really good pace with the car, I think it’s very, very promising and very positive for the future.
“So I am more than pleased with the last two rallies now, to be honest, and they have been positive.”
Safari Rally Kenya will be a better barometer of the trajectory of Solberg’s WRC2 season in a Toyota, but in reality what does he have left to prove in a Rally2 car?
I feel the driving is good, and the pacenotes have evolved. I have much more experience now than a few years agoOliver Solberg
With the experience he’s now accrued, Rally1 would be the better battlefield to judge Solberg. That’s not meant with any disrespect to his current WRC2 rivals – of which he has many at a seriously good level – but with a very clear goal of reaching the top, it’s only against the top we’ll learn where he truly stands.
The only real clues we can currently attain are by asking Solberg himself: how well do you think you’re driving just now?
“Wow, that’s a good question, actually,” he pondered. “You know, I always feel very confident and I always feel my abilities are very good, so I always do my best. And then normally, if I have a good feeling with everything and so on, and do my best, then normally that’s enough.
“But I feel the driving is good, and the pacenotes have evolved. I have much more experience now than a few years ago. So for sure, I feel everything is working well, it’s consistent, I have a good working ethic and I have a good plan of everything I need to do, and feel good in my pacenotes and driving and together with Elliott [Edmondson].
“So I feel great, but there’s always work to do, of course.”
Solberg’s comments tally with observations made by many. The speed has never been in question, but his ability to manage a rally has greatly improved since his brief Rally1 shot with Hyundai back in 2022.
Solberg’s ability to go as quickly as he did in Sweden, but doing so by balancing risk vs reward, was brought up by one of his rivals, unprompted, in a conversation with me in the days after the event.
Solberg's rally management has been a key improvement of late
The improvement is therefore being noticed, and a WRC2 title would be a great way for Solberg to prove that once and for all. But he’s on the verge of treading water if he doesn’t get himself into a Rally1 car some time soon.
Becoming his own man
Solberg’s far from the only driver in world motorsport to be following in the footsteps of his parents. Just look at four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen and two-time World Rally champion Kalle Rovanperä as examples.
But Solberg’s arguably got even more pressure on his shoulders given his father has three FIA world titles to his name – one in WRC and two in World Rallycross.
Establishing an identity of his own is therefore not the easiest, but Oliver’s grown into himself greatly in recent years.
“The Solberg name will always be there, and that I’m grateful for. I will never take that away,” he reflected.
“But of course, you try to be your own self. And my dad has his way of doing things, and I have my way of doing things. And I think the last couple of years, you know, we are definitely seeing me and my dad being like, ‘OK, maybe we can’t do it exactly his way, but we can still do it together’.
Oliver is undeniably a Solberg, but is forging his own personality and 'brand' as well
“But I do it my way and use his experience in many ways, and not only motorsport but also as a character that, you know, I will always just be myself and then that’s it.”
At least in my opinion, Solberg is one of the most authentic drivers around on social media. He is unashamedly himself – and that should be applauded.
“Maybe I’m a bit egoistic when I say it,” he laughed, “I just love creating something, to create a brand of myself and try to create something that maybe nobody has done since Ken Block maybe, you know.
“And create your own personality and show your personality and create your own brand around it to what Oliver Solberg is in motorsport, in life, in personality, and try to bring everything in a package together to show to the world.
“And by doing that, I believe that rallying should use that more and be happy that it’s happening instead of maybe stopping it. And right now, I feel there’s maybe like a 50-50 split of some that like it, some that don’t, and that’s fine.
“But I will always be myself.”
