Is Monte Carlo winner Solberg now a WRC title contender?

Speaking before his Monte Carlo domination Oliver Solberg said he dreams of challenging for the World Rally Championship title. After his latest sensational win that is no longer a dream - he is a bona fide title contender.

Solberg’s run to victory in Monte Carlo sent a message to the WRC that there is a new force in this championship. It was a performance that defied even the expectations of Toyota’s management, who felt Solberg would need at least a season behind the wheel of a Rally1 car before the Swede could realistically challenge for a WRC title.

Solberg was already the subject of title conversation even before Monte Carlo, having deservedly graduated to Toyota’s squad for 2026 following a stunning 2025 campaign that included domination in the WRC2 title race, and of course that extraordinary maiden outright win in Estonia in what was then a one-off drive for Toyota.

When asked about being labelled as a title contender before the rally, he told Autosport: “I dream of it, of course, I have to dream. I believe anything is possible but then again it is my first year being full-time against these guys. I have done a few rallies and a half season in Rally1, but I’m still the driver that has done the least amount of rallies in Rally1. If I think realistically maybe and how long it took Kalle [Rovanpera] and he was driving consecutively all the time, then maybe I cannot win straight away, but you never know.

“Nobody has won it until their third year, my father [Petter] or [Sebastien] Loeb, [Kalle] Rovanpera or anyone and this will be my first full year. I feel like I have to be realistic. I still believe everything is possible, and I don’t put limits on belief.”

The magnitude of last weekend's victory in Monte Carlo cannot be underestimated. Facing the toughest conditions for more than a decade, Solberg managed to beat his team-mate and last year’s title runner-up Elfyn Evans by almost a minute. Last season’s champion and 10-time Monte Carlo winner Sebastien Ogier was third, more than two minutes adrift. Such a performance immediately puts Solberg in the title hunt in my opinion and with his home round in Sweden coming up next month, it is highly likely he will be favourite for victory despite opening the road.

Solberg's domination at Rally Monte Carlo has added him into the title conversation

Photo by: TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

When asked if he now feels like he is a title contender after winning in Monte Carlo, Solberg said: "It is a very long season and there is a long way to go. I think if I can manage to win this rally and Estonia then everything is possible, but still there is a lot to learn with the car and the team, and I want to take it step by step and see what is possible.”

Evans admitted to Autosport that he considered his new team-mate to be a title contender even before his Monte Carlo heroics: “I think he was already a title contender anyway. He is a strong driver and has many years of experience now and knows most of the rallies. Obviously, he doesn’t have so much current Rally1 experience and not so much experience in this car, but I’m sure there will be some rallies where he needs to find his feet still, but we have seen how strong he can be. I wouldn’t discount him at all and didn’t discount him before the rally.”

Likewise, 2024 world champion Thierry Neuville fully expects that this Monte Carlo triumph won’t be Solberg’s only victory of the year, but says challenging for a title is a different story.

"We definitely needed this for the championship after the end of last year with the negative stories about Kalle leaving and Ott stopping" Jari-Matti Latvala

“To do this performance the whole weekend in those challenging conditions, hats off, he has done well. I’m very happy for him to win this weekend,” the Hyundai driver said. “It is good to see a new winner, and OK he won one event last year, but I would say this one was very much deserved in those conditions. He had a bit of luck but everybody needs a bit of luck to win Monte Carlo. It is tough to say [if he is a title contender], managing a championship is still another story but I believe that this was not the last victory for him this year.”

There is no doubt that Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson have the speed to be a real threat in this year’s title race and they have already proven they can win a championship after their triumph in WRC2.

The only unknowns are how they will cope opening the roads against the WRC elite and dealing with the pressure of a title battle when it comes to the crunch moments. This will produce a different kind of pressure cooker environment to what they have previously experienced. But the way Solberg has matured in recent years means he has the skills in the locker to go toe-to-toe with anyone in a fight for the WRC crown.

Solberg and Edmondson celebrate the 2025 WRC2 title - but fighting for the top tier crown will be a much bigger challenge

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Certainly Toyota’s management believes in its new signing, with team principal Jari-Matti Latvala now convinced a title challenge is on.

"It will be quite a challenge but I must say now we are at the beginning of this long season and we have a driver like Oliver coming into the title hunt which is great,” said Latvala. “We definitely needed this for the championship after the end of last year with the negative stories about Kalle leaving and Ott stopping and now we have someone new coming in to challenge for the championship.”

Latvala’s remarks are spot on. Solberg's Monte Carlo win has provided a timely boost for the WRC and could be set to drag a whole heap of eyeballs back on to the championship for the right reasons.

The WRC is set for a fascinating title race with Solberg firmly in the mix.

The first test of Solberg's title credentials will be his home round Rally Sweden next month

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool