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Swedish rally driver Oliver Solberg has questioned the strategy chosen by teammates and championship rivals Elfyn Evans and Sami Pajari during the decisive season finale at Rally Sardinia. Heading into the crucial stages, Evans held a 17-point lead over Pajari, with Solberg trailing the leader by 21 points.
During Friday morning's loop, Solberg proved to be the quickest of the Toyota trio, arriving at the midday service park in third place overall. Pajari followed in fourth, while Evans sat in sixth position.
The punishing conditions led to a raft of punctures early on. Solberg was caught out on the opening test itself, but managed to minimize his time loss by carrying two spare tyres. In contrast, Evans and Pajari gambled on just one spare apiece, leaving the Swede perplexed.
"I think the other guys are pretty crazy. To take just one spare, especially when you're fighting for a world title like Elfyn, is a bit silly," Solberg remarked. "I'm convinced ours was the secure decision. It's not necessarily an advantage, but it was certainly the safe choice. You saw how many punctures there were this morning, including mine on the very first stage. I was lucky not to lose too much time."
Solberg admitted he felt a slight impact before the deflation but was still caught off guard by the damage. He emphasized that the unforgiving surface poses constant threats, placing immense stress inside the cockpit: "On the final stage, I must have checked the dash ten times to see if there was a tyre pressure warning. On roads like these, it's very easy to become paranoid."
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