Sami Pajari etched his name into FIA World Rally Championship history by claiming a sensational maiden victory at Delfi Rally Estonia, becoming the 83rd different winner in the championship’s history.
The 24-year-old Finn delivered a flawless performance alongside co-driver Marko Salminen, leading from the opening stage to the finish in their Hankook-equipped Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. Pajari dominated the high-speed gravel event with 12 stage victories, finishing 19.5 seconds ahead of Toyota teammate Oliver Solberg.
The breakthrough triumph also marked Finland’s 199th WRC victory and significantly strengthened Pajari’s championship challenge. His maximum haul of 28 points lifted him to third in the provisional standings on 144 points, just 33 behind championship leader Elfyn Evans.
Dream Weekend for Pajari
Pajari became the latest driver to earn a maiden WRC victory in Estonia, following Kalle Rovanperä in 2021 and Oliver Solberg in 2025.
The victory also made him the 17th Finnish driver to win outright in the World Rally Championship and his sixth podium finish of an impressive 2026 campaign.
“It’s something so amazing, maybe I didn’t really realise what I’ve just done.
Thank you to everybody working at Toyota Gazoo Racing. I’m super happy for you and super grateful for all the support and trusting in myself. Thanks to everyone who stood behind my back when there were some tricky times; this is for you.
I thank myself for not giving up and going for it once again. Now I’ve done it, it feels good.”
Pajari said
Solberg Settles for Second
Oliver Solberg entered Sunday’s final leg trailing Pajari by 25 seconds but could do little to deny the Finn’s first career victory.
Although Solberg posted the fastest time on both Sunday stages, including victory in the Wolf Power Stage and topping the Super Sunday standings, the gains were too small to threaten Pajari’s commanding lead.
The runner-up finish marked Solberg’s third podium of the season and ended a frustrating spell of results.
“It’s been a very good weekend for sure, I need to be happy.
It’s been a couple of hard rallies. I didn’t have the full confidence to push at 100 per cent like Sami had. He deserves it. Very happy with my weekend, good points and a good stepping stone for the upcoming events.”
Solberg said
Hyundai Duo Locked in Podium Battle
Adrien Fourmaux successfully held off Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville to secure the final podium position.
Neuville had closed to within two seconds after an impressive Saturday, but Fourmaux responded brilliantly on Sunday’s opening stage to extend his advantage by almost eight seconds, effectively sealing third place before the final Power Stage.
Neuville later revealed that last-minute work on his car’s hearing system left him less than fully prepared before the day’s opening test.
Championship Battle Tightens
Reigning world champion Sébastien Ogier finished fifth on his return to Rally Estonia, while championship leader Elfyn Evans crossed the line sixth after losing valuable time opening the road on Friday.
Despite the difficult weekend, Evans extended his championship lead to 25 points over Toyota teammate Takamoto Katsuta, whose hopes were ruined by tyre damage on Friday before suffering the disadvantage of road sweeping on Saturday.
Mārtiņš Sesks was the leading M-Sport Ford driver in seventh despite carrying a 20-second penalty from an incident during shakedown and later battling tyre damage.
Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi marked his return to WRC competition with eighth place, while Jon Armstrong narrowly missed out after an opening-stage tyre issue. Josh McErlean recovered from Saturday’s retirement to complete the rally on Sunday.
Virves Delights Home Crowd
Robert Virves thrilled the Estonian fans by winning the WRC2 category in his Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.
The home favourite secured victory by 7.6 seconds and collected a €25,000 prize awarded by WRC Promoter as the event’s top local talent. Teemu Suninen edged Roope Korhonen by just 1.2 seconds in a dramatic battle for second place.
Rally Finland Next
The FIA World Rally Championship remains on high-speed gravel as the championship heads directly to Secto Rally Finland, taking place from 30 July to 2 August, where Pajari will aim to continue his winning momentum on home soil.
Final Standings
- Sami Pajari / Marko Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – 2:31:16.5
- Oliver Solberg / Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +19.5s
- Adrien Fourmaux / Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +53.8s
- Thierry Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +59.7s
- Sébastien Ogier / Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m 32.9s
- Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m 01.0s