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Elfyn Evans says the “intense” rallying calendar has helped him move on from the disappointment of missing out on yet another World Rally Championship (WRC) title.
Evans, 36, starts the 2026 WRC series in Monte Carlo this weekend as a five-time runner-up, finishing second again to Sebastien Ogier in 2025.
The Welshman took a three-point lead into November’s season-ending Rally Saudi Arabia but finished four points behind Toyota team-mate Ogier in the final standings.
“There’s not much time to reflect on that and it’s straight into preparation for the new season,” said Evans.
“It’s probably the sport that has the least amount of downtime. That in itself is challenging as it doesn’t give you much time to rebuild your fitness as you’re straight into the next season.”
The opening event of the season runs from Thursday to Sunday.
Evans has undergone weeks of testing in his new hybrid-less Toyota Yaris Rally1 car before lining up in the southern French Alps.
“There isn’t a big gap between the end of one season and the start of a new one, and it’s quite easy in a way to move on,” he added.
“We’ve become used to it over the years and it’s just a case of trying to plough on.”
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Evans has now finished second best to Ogier on three occasions, including in 2020 when he also took a championship lead into the final round at Monza, only for a crash to cost him the title.
He has also finished second to Thierry Neuville (2024) and Kalle Rovanpera (2023).
However, the Toyota Gazoo driver is hoping 2026 will be the year when he finally becomes the third British driver after Colin McRae (1995) and Richard Burns (2001) to win the WRC title.
“It’s hard. The target is always win the title. Of course when you don’t achieve your target it’s very disappointing,” said Evans.
“But this year is another opportunity and there’s another championship to be won and it’s up for grabs.
“We’ve got a good team behind us and we’ll get our heads down and see what’s possible this year.”
Getty ImagesEvans finished second in Monte Carlo 12 months ago and was also runner-up in the traditional season opener in 2021.
“There are a few new challenges in Monte Carlo, a few new stages and the conditions there always throw up a surprise,” said Evans.
“It’s always a bit of a lottery to start the year.”
The drivers again face a 14-event campaign this year.
Rally Croatia will return to the calendar, replacing the Central European Rally which was co-hosted between Germany, Austria and Czech Republic.
And for a second year, the series will conclude with the controversial Saudi event which made its debut in 2025.
So it is same start, same finish for 2026, with Evans just hoping for a slightly different final outcome.
