A maiden WRC victory and an unlikely podium rescue collide in the second Rally1 Rewind matchup, bringing together Oliver Solberg's Estonia triumph and Esapekka Lappi's dramatic Finland finish. Both crews left their mark on the championship's fast gravel roads, though they got there through entirely different kinds of brilliance.
Solberg arrived in Estonia leading WRC2, handed an unexpected opportunity to drive Toyota's GR Yaris Rally1. It was his first start in the top category since 2022, and his first in Toyota's Rally1 car. Any suggestion that he would need time to settle disappeared on Friday's opening forest stage. Solberg went fastest to take the rally lead, then kept building his advantage as the weekend progressed.
He and co-driver Elliott Edmondson turned a return to Rally1 machinery into a commanding win in 2025. They won nine stages and dealt confidently with rain on the final day to beat home favourite Ott Tänak by 25.2sec. Solberg joined his father Petter on the list of outright WRC winners and delivered Toyota's 100th championship victory. “I've never had such a good time in my life,” he said afterwards.
Three years earlier, Lappi and co-driver Janne Ferm needed roadside repairs just to reach the final stage. Lappi's Toyota reached the end of Rally Finland looking very different from the car in which he had started the weekend. A roll on the penultimate stage threatened to undo a strong home performance. A rut had caught the GR Yaris Rally1 and sent it over three times, but Lappi and Ferm continued, losing only around 20 seconds and retaining third place.
Keeping it there required more work. The crew removed the damaged windscreen and attended to the cooling system before tackling the Power Stage. More of the battered roof came away as they accelerated, adding to the noise and airflow inside the cockpit. They still held on to third by 16.9sec over team-mates Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin. “It's so good to be here at the finish,” Lappi said.
