Five-time World Rally Championship runner-up Elfyn Evans has his best chance yet to finally grab the crown as the Welshman brings a 17-point lead to the season finale, Rally Sardinia.
Evans has finished fourth in Sardinia in each of the last three seasons, and a repeat of that result should be enough for him to hold on at the top of the standings, although he needs to collect 19 points to not have to worry about how well his rivals are doing.
There are 35 points up for grabs overall so Evans will have see off the challenges of Sami Pajari and Oliver Solberg, who is 21 points back.
It's a similar situation to last season when sixth place in Abu Dhabi was not enough to save Evans from being pipped to the post by his Toyota team-mate Sebastien Ogier. But none of the title contenders figured in the battle for victory there and it could be a similar story this time.
Rally Sardinia Tips Summary
Best Bet - Sebastien Ogier to win Rally Sardinia @ 15/8
Alternative Bet - Thierry Neuville each-way @ 8/1
Rally Sardinia Tips Prediction
Best Bet: Sebastien Ogier to win Rally Sardinia @ 15/8
This has been something of a disappointing season for Ogier, but it is a mark of his standards to describe in those terms a year that has included two wins and three other podiums.
Ogier began last season on a part-time campaign, but his sporadic early events went so well that he decided to go for a ninth world title, and duly wrapped that up at the final event in Abu Dhabi.
He is not in contention for an incredible 10th title, but he can help his Toyota team-mate Evans to claim a first championship by denying the Welshman's title rivals the opportunity to take maximum points.
Ogier will become the most experienced World Rally Championship driver of all time by competing in Sardinia, and he will be aiming to celebrate in style having won four times already on the Italian island.
The French legend had uncharacteristic crashes in Finland and Paraguay, but bounced back to finish second in Chile last time out.
Title hopefuls Pajari and Solberg have won the last four rallies between them, but they are under huge pressure and have bigger things on their minds.
Ogier should be relaxed and confident, and starting fourth on the road for the first set of stages should give him an advantage.
Alternative Bet: Thierry Neuville each-way @ 8/1
Thierry Neuville won the WRC title in 2024, and his victory in Portugal in May continued a run of 11 successive seasons in which he has taken at least one win.
Last year the Belgian had to wait until the season finale to taste success, but he did so with the benefit of not being involved in the raging three-way title fight and despite not having finished either of the two preceding rallies.
We are in Sardinia rather than the Middle East this time, but history has repeated and Neuville is looking to bounce back after two disastrous results.
This is an ideal venue to do it, as Neuville has three Sardinia victories among his eight total podium finishes on the island, and the Hyundai man is worth an interest each-way with three places on offer.
Key Race Stats
Elfyn Evans leads the drivers' standings by 13 points
This is the final race of the 2026 World Rally Championship season
Sami Pajari and Oliver Solberg are also in title contention
Sebastien Ogier is a four-time winner in Sardinia
Thierry Neuville has eight top-three finishes in Sardinia, including three wins
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
