Victory in Chile would guarantee Solberg the title - but other scenarios work for him too
Photography by Toyota & Red Bull
Words by Luke Barry
“If I win, I win,” Oliver Solberg smiled. “It’s like that.”
It really is that simple. If Solberg wins this week’s Rally Chile in WRC2, then he will be crowned the 2025 WRC2 champion.
Victory at the recent Rally del Paraguay, the Swede’s fourth of the season, has set him up for this chance, but there are permutations where he can still claim the title without winning – or even after – Rally Chile.
“If I win the race, then the WRC2 title is mine,” Solberg added. “There are some different calculations for some of my rivals, but this is the main one and this is what we focus on.”
You could argue that puts a lot of pressure on Solberg’s shoulders, but he doesn’t see things that way.
Victory in Paraguay gave Solberg a 'jump' on his rivals in the title race
“For me, it’s the same as always,” he said. “I drive my own race and do my own thing. Nothing changes from that side. OK, maybe we don’t go completely flat out all of the time, let’s maybe come one step down from the speed we were showing in Paraguay.
“Like we know, this sport is a team effort and to be at this point is a big reflection on how hard everybody at Printsport has worked with us. The Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 is an amazing car and I’m grateful to Toyota and the whole team for what they have done to help us in the fight this year. Now, we have one more battle in the WRC2 title race.”
So what are the scenarios that could crown Solberg as world champion on Sunday?
There is nothing any of his rivals – Yohan Rossel, Gus Greensmith and Nikolay Gryazin – can do.
Solberg’s points total of 135 will be higher than any of them could reach on their remaining points-scoring rounds.
He can still claim the title this weekend if it’s Rossel who beats him to first, but not if it’s Greensmith. The Briton could claim up to 132 points if he won in Chile, and Solberg’s maximum if he’s second would be 128.
The same applies to the other Škoda of Gryazin, as he could amass up to 130 points if he wins Chile and all the remaining events.
Then Rossel still couldn’t be the one to deny Solberg, as his season maximum with a win in Chile is 124 and third place would give Solberg 125.
Victory for either Greensmith or Gryazin would again keep the battle alive – but with the two of them fighting on two of the three remaining rallies after Chile, one would be eliminated from the equation soon.
Second place in Chile, if Solberg was third, would eliminate them both however. Greensmith could tie with Solberg on 125 points, but would lose out on countback due to a smaller number of wins (three to four).
Greensmith is Solberg's biggest threat to the title
Rossel’s only shot of becoming WRC2 champion this season is winning in Chile and Solberg finishing off the podium.
Solberg placing as low as fourth would however significantly open the door to Greensmith and Gryazin. If Greensmith won Chile he could win the title with a victory and a second place on his next events, as could Gryazin but only if Rossel didn’t win in Chile.
Naturally the lower Solberg finishes, the lower his title-winning chances become. But equally finishing off the podium is disastrous for Rossel, Greensmith or Gryazin’s chances.
Solberg has total control over his destiny in Chile; the rest don’t. Finishing first would guarantee him the championship; second would give him a brilliant chance, even if he didn’t become champion in Chile itself.
Greensmith is his biggest threat, so victory for him is the most dangerous scenario for the Solberg camp.
Rossel meanwhile is the rank outsider – trailing Solberg by 11 points and like the Swede, using this weekend as his final points-scoring opportunity.
Words:Luke Barry
Tags: Gus Greensmith, Nikolay Gryazin, Oliver Solberg, Rally Chile, Rally Chile 2025, WRC 2025, WRC2 2025, Yohan Rossel
Publish Date September 10, 2025 DirtFish
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