Sweden – ES1: Oliver Solberg continues his mission

We last saw Oliver Solberg at the top of the timesheets in the South of France, winner of his first Monte Carlo Rally. We found him again in the Swedish night, once more the fastest, well ahead of everyone else on the first special stage of the Rally from Sweden. The local rider won Umeå 1 with a 3.8-second lead over his teammate Elfyn Evans. It's a clean sweep. Toyota who dominates the stage with Takamoto Katsuta third ahead of Sami Pajari.

"The car was going in all directions. There was nothing to follow." "Solberg was still breathing hard at the finish line," he sighed. It was really tricky and required a lot of grip. It was the first time I'd driven this car on this stage, and it wasn't easy.  Not easy, but good enough to win for the Swede, ahead of Elfyn Evans. "We had a cautious start and the grip was a bit better than usual. We'll have to do better tomorrow." the Welshman soberly analyzed.

Toyota's newfound dominance relegates Adrien fourmaux only in 6th place, almost 8 seconds behind. "The grip was clearly different from that of the tests. the Northerner advances. The conditions are different. It was a very enjoyable ride, to be honest. I really hope we have more of that feeling tomorrow, because it was truly enjoyable.

He will be at the start of the second stage on Friday, hopefully enjoying himself on the Swedish tracks. The day will begin with Bygdsiljum 1, the longest special stage of the rally, at 27,55 km, which will be run twice during the day.

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WRC – Rally Sweden 2026
The results of SS1 and the overall standings

The program 

Friday, February 13, 2026 – 124,88 km
10:07 PM. – SS2: Bygdsiljum 1 – 27,55 km
11:08 PM. – SS3: Andersvattnet 1 – 20,51 km
12:16 PM. – SS4: Bäck 1 – 11,53 km
15:40 PM. – SS5: Bygdsiljum 2 – 27,55 km
16:41 PM. – SS6: Andersvattnet 2 – 20,51 km
17:49 PM. – SS7: Bäck 2 – 11,53 km
19:05 PM. – SS8: Umeå Sprint 1 – 5,70 km
Saturday, February 14, 2026 – 104,42 km
10:10 PM. – SS9: Vännäs 1 – 15,70 km
11:05 PM. – ES10: Sarsjöliden 1 - 16,72 km
11:59 PM. – SS11: Kolksele 1 – 16,94 km
15:10 PM. – SS12: Vännäs 2 – 15,70 km
16:05 PM. – ES13: Sarsjöliden 2 - 16,72 km
16:59 PM. – SS14: Kolksele 2 – 16,94 km
18:05 PM. – SS15: Umeå Sprint 2 – 5,70 km
Sunday, February 15, 2026 – 61,13 km
07:33 PM. – SS16: Västervik 1 – 25,45 km
10:11 PM. – SS17: Västervik 2 – 25,45 km
12:15 PM. – SS18: Umeå 2 – 10,23 km