Oliver Solberg, who closed to within 5,3 seconds of Sébastien Ogier in the Canary Islands: "Easy to make mistakes"

After a controlled, albeit tricky, morning, the Swedish driver rapidly closed the gap on Sébastien Ogier at the top of the standings. His deficit is now very small, suggesting he could do everything he can this afternoon to overtake the reigning World Rally Champion.

Published 25/04/2026 à 13:27

Pierre Barre

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Oliver Solberg, who closed to within 5,3 seconds of Sébastien Ogier in the Canary Islands: "Easy to make mistakes"

© Nikos Katikis / DPPI

While it's regrettable that we can't see any mounts other than the Toyota to play leading roles in this Rally From the Canary Islands, however, we can be pleased with the excellent battle being put on by the Japanese team's crews. Elfyn Evans set two fastest times this morning, Oliver Solberg the fastest time on SS11, and now the young Swedish prodigy is only 5,3 seconds behind his teammate. Sébastien Ogier for 1rd place. « It was very difficult this morning; the conditions were constantly changing. », explained the winner of the Monte Carlo Rally at the end of the morning loop. « One minute the road was dry, then wet, then dry again… In these conditions, it's easy to make mistakes, so you have to stay focused. »Indeed, the three special stages of the morning were marked by the arrival of rain, which reshuffled the cards.

The rain came to disrupt Oliver Solberg

This was particularly the case at the start of SS11, the longest stage of the rally, which will be run twice today. « At first, it started raining for Sébastien and me, and the further we got into the special stage, the more it rained; it really wasn't easy. », Solberg explained. Despite still being familiar with his car, tires and conditions, the son of the 2003 World Rally Champion has made a strong comeback to the front of the race and the rest of the day promises to be epic. « Honestly, I don't yet know what to expect this afternoon. »he conceded, however. « I think that from a weather perspective, we should have something quite similar to this morning, with a fair amount of variation. »Join us from 15:50pm French time to learn more about this.

ALSO READ > Canary Islands Rally – SS11: Ogier narrowly beaten on the rally's longest stage

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