Welsh rally driver Elfyn Evans is on the cusp of securing his first World Rally Championship (WRC) title as he heads into the season-ending Rally Italia Sardegna. The 37-year-old from Dolgellau holds a 17-point lead over teammates Sami Pajari and Oliver Solberg.
Evans has been a WRC runner-up five times in the past six years. Should he maintain his advantage from 1-4 October, he would become only the third Briton to win the WRC title, following Colin McRae and Richard Burns.
His previous close calls include 2020, where a crash in the final event cost him the title by eight points, and 2021, when he finished 17 points behind Sébastien Ogier. In 2023, despite three victories, a crash in Portugal set back his title bid. The 2024 season saw him finish runner-up again, and in 2025, a 36-point lead after three rounds was gradually eroded, leaving him three points adrift before the final round.