Ogier triumphs after Solberg's mistake in the Canary Islands: "In rallying, you can go from hero to zero very quickly."

The king is back on his throne after a Rally Canary Islands 2026 will be remembered for its dramatic finale. After a breathtaking duel, only one Sébastien Ogier He crossed the finish line while his teammate and closest pursuer, Oliver Solberg, was overtaken by the harsh realities of rallying. Too optimistic on the penultimate stage, the Swede paid dearly for his over-optimism.

« We, first and foremost, would have liked to continue the battle until the very last stop and have Oliver with us on the podium. Ogier confided to AUTOhebdo. The battle was incredible, it came down to tenths of a second all weekend. We've rarely experienced such intensity at the front of an asphalt race. WRCIt's a thankless sport where you can go from hero to zero very quickly. »

Sébastien Ogier, a quiet force

After building a comfortable cushion by setting four fastest stage times on Friday, Sébastien Ogier saw his gap to Oliver Solberg shrink throughout the stages on Saturday and Sunday, without deviating from his strategy. Even when the gap was reduced to just 2,2 seconds, the Frenchman remained unperturbed.

« I think we've shown once again that we managed not to panic despite the fact that the gap was narrowing. he congratulates himself. We stuck to our racing strategy, which was to drive very cleanly, at a pace I felt comfortable, without doing anything stupid. It ultimately paid off because Vincent Landais and I didn't make any mistakes this weekend, while Oliver Solberg did that one little thing too many in the penultimate stage of the rally, which cost him dearly. Experience is part of the game. Even though he's young, Oliver has a lot of experience; he's no newcomer. For our part, at least, we showed that we can still more or less handle the pressure (Laughs). »

The only blemish on this otherwise idyllic weekend was narrowly missing out on the Power Stage and Super Sunday, preventing him from achieving a clean sweep. The rider from Gap scored three and four points respectively, for a total of thirty-two points over the weekend. This positive result brings him within just 43 points of the new championship leader, Elfyn Evans.

But beyond the numbers, it was the future of the nine-time champion that was on everyone's lips in the Spanish service park. As rumors intensify about the next step in his career, the driver Toyota He remains evasive, preferring to savor the present moment. “I’m focused on the present, on enjoying the few races we have left this year in these Rally1 cars, because they are fantastic cars. Then we’ll see about the future.”he slips in. In any case, with this 68th victory, Sébastien Ogier has proven that he is still, and always will be, the absolute benchmark when the pressure mounts.

Interview by Pierre Barré. 

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