Before the weekend, Oliver Solberg had modest expectations: tipping a top five result as his goal for his first start as a full-time factory Toyota World Rally Championship driver. However, that quickly changed after he delivered a stunning drive to win what was regarded as the toughest Monte Carlo for a generation.
Extreme wintry weather plagued the asphalt event, offering up incredibly difficult snow and ice-covered roads across the event’s 17 stages. Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson were seemingly able to tame the conditions the best across the four days, defying expectations in the WRC service park for what was possible from their first tarmac event driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 car.
Beating more experienced team-mates Elfyn Evans and 10-time Monte Carlo winner Sebastien Ogier, while also becoming the youngest ever Monte Carlo winner in the WRC, only emphasised the magnitude of his performance.
“It is incredible and I’m speechless to be honest, it is a dream come true. It is the most crazy thing I have done in my life again,” said Solberg, who scored a stunning maiden outright WRC win in a one-off drive for Toyota in Estonia last year.
“Thanks to Toyota for the belief to put me as a factory driver and second rally together and second win is remarkable – an amazing start to a long journey, I hope.
“The team has been working so great together to get me comfortable in the car and to work well. It was tricky conditions that could make the difference. I tried to do my very best on the snow and ice and really push there and I think that made the difference.
Oliver Solberg, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Photo by: TOYOTA GAZOO Racing
“Estonia was very emotional when I heard the [Swedish] national anthem, but here it was like a crazy dream that you don’t really understand that it has happened. Hearing the national anthem of Sweden is a dream come true, and it is a very long time [since] this was played in Monte Carlo.
“It was a dream to share a podium with Seb [Ogier] as he is my hero. I don’t think I really understand it yet to be honest, but I think it is the coolest thing I have ever done in my life. I thought Estonia was the most difficult thing, but Estonia was easy compared to this. It is incredible.”
Ogier was quick to offer high praise to Solberg following his display in the most difficult of conditions.
“It is an amazing performance from him, so hats off to him he deserves this win,” said Ogier. “It is nice to have this fresh air in the championship, a young and up-and-coming driver with a lot of motivation and doing a great job straight away, and that is the sign of a champion, so let’s see what the future brings to him.
“On my side, looking forward, I’m looking forward to battling another strong contender when I’m here. I always enjoy to have tight fights against strong competitors.”
When asked what the key to his victory were, Solberg explained: “This weekend was great and I think yesterday afternoon and this morning I was a little bit tense and little bit nervous but the rest was fantastic and when it was snow and ice I could really play and show my car control and have the feeling that I love. I tried to push where I can push, and relax where I can relax. It has been extremely tricky conditions.”
Co-driver Edmondson added: “First of all, I have to take my hat off to Oliver, it was a real pleasure to watch a true master at work this weekend.
“In those conditions it was very, very impressive but at the same time our route note crew Bryan Bouffier and Denis Giraudet, these guys were absolutely invaluable this weekend. Everyone knows the conditions we had were so, so difficult and you simply cannot go this quick in these conditions without knowing every single inch of the road and these guys translated that really fantastically to us. It was a combination of all those things that really brought together a great weekend.
“Oliver has been super relaxed and I think we all have and I think that is a huge contributing factor to the result really. Maybe he wasn’t as relaxed as he at least let on, but we have had no stress inside the car. It has been quite a smooth operation really.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
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