Sami Pajari has surprised everyone with a dominant performance at the Rally Estonia, where he has achieved his first victory in the World Rally Championship. This victory, which Pajari has described as a “great relief”, comes after several missed opportunities in the past.
The Toyota driver led the race from the beginning, winning 12 of the 18 challenging gravel stages and beating his teammate, Oliver Solberg, by 19.5 seconds. His dominance was highlighted by a series of nine consecutive victories in the stages on Friday and Saturday morning.
At just 24 years old, Pajari has been close to winning several times, including last season’s finale and a rally in Croatia. However, this time he managed to maintain control to take the victory, a milestone he had dreamed of for years, as he expressed in a post-race interview.
In Pajari’s words, “the first thought that comes to my mind is perhaps just relief. We have been searching for this for a long time, and this year it has been very close on several occasions”. He also added that it was “a really incredible day,” recalling the magic of the moment when he crossed the finish line with his family waiting.
His co-driver, Marko Salminen, also shared the euphoria, as this has been his first triumph as a co-driver in the WRC after years of experience on the championship’s roads. Salminen acknowledged that “moments like this you don’t fully understand while they happen, but I am very happy”.
Despite his impressive performance, Pajari expressed that the pressure never disappeared during the competition. “Even winning 12 stages out of 18, it never really helped me much to relax, the pressure was always there,” he commented.
His victory has received praise both inside and outside the WRC Paddock, including from the new world champion, Sébastien Ogier, who finished in fifth place. “Congratulations to Sami and Marko for a very strong race and a beautiful first victory,” Ogier said.
As the season progresses, Pajari has climbed to third place in the overall standings, 33 points behind the leader, Elfyn Evans. His victory in Estonia marks a key moment in his career, demonstrating that he is a name to watch in the world of WRC.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
