historic rallye monte carlo victory for oliver and elliott
The youngest winner in the history of the legendary Rallye Monte-Carlo is Oliver Solberg.
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After four hours and 25 minutes of full throttle action through snow, ice, sleet, rain and dense fog, Oliver Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson were finally able to let loose their cheers and tears of joy as historic winners of the Rallye Monte-Carlo.
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"I don't quite understand it right now", said a tearful Solberg immediately after crossing the finish line in the small mountain village of Moulinet, just north of Monaco. "This was the most difficult rally I've ever driven. And in my first race at the top level in this car on asphalt, we win the whole thing. It's emotional because there's been so much stress", said Oliver Solberg after the first World Rally Championship round of the season.
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At 2:15 p.m on Sunday afternoon, the 24-year-old could celebrate on the roof of his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 car as the youngest ever winner of the Rallye Monte-Carlo. It was his second victory in two attempts in Toyota's top level car.
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Solberg won overall by 51.8 seconds over teammate Elfyn Evans. Third was nine-time world champion Sebastien Ogier, who has won the Rallye Monte-Carlo a full ten times previously. And now half-Norwegian Oliver Solberg leads the overall World Championship. The last time a Norwegian was in that position was in April 2005 with his father Petter.
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Oliver Solberg was fastest on six of the race's 17 special stages. He took over the overall lead on the race's second special stage and kept it until the finish.
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The best that father Petter Solberg managed in nine attempts in the world's most prestigious rally was third place in 2012. In total, Petter won 14 special stage victories, but he never led the World Championship round based in Monaco. Petter Solberg won his first ever World Championship round at Rally GB the day before his 28th birthday in 2002. He collected 13 World Championship round victories in 188 attempts in his career. Now the 24-year-old son has two victories in 14 attempts.
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Later on Sunday, the triumph was celebrated at the port of Monte-Carlo – a stone's throw away from where the Solberg family lived between 2003 and 2010 and where Oliver went to both kindergarten and primary school.
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He gave a big thank you to the Toyota team. Solberg was brought in as a factory driver for 2026, and he will drive all World Championship rounds this year. Right from the start, he was trusted as one of three points anchors in the star-studded team. "Thank you for the trust and belief in me. It's a lot to deliver then. The teamwork has been fantastic", boasted Solberg.
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The Swedish-Norwegian rally star came close to having his dream weekend ruined several times – like most of his competitors. On SS12, it was a combination of luck and skill that saved the Toyota driver from experiencing the nightmare of an exit. Only ten seconds were lost. Oliver Solberg incredibly won the stage and maintained his lead in the race.
The 24-year-old built up his record-breaking lead primarily on the second stage of the race. On mirror-like icy roads, Solberg was over half a minute faster than anyone else.
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Only once before has Oliver Solberg driven the Toyota team's GR Yaris Rally1 car in the World Rally Championship. In Rally Estonia last year, he swept to his first career World Rally Championship round victory in the largest class (WRC1) as the third youngest ever.
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The next World Rally Championship round will take place in Umeå, Sweden, from 12 to 15 February.
