Talented Swede Oliver Solberg took the lead on the first day of the Chilean Rally, Friday, riding a Toyota, ahead of his teammate and British World Championship leader Elfyn Evans.
Frenchman Adrian Fourmeaux, driving a Hyundai, continued his brilliance after the Paraguay Rally at the end of August, which he finished third, occupying the same position after six special stages on dirt and muddy roads, due to the rain that fell on the country of the Andes Mountains.
Solberg and Evans confirmed to reporters that they were satisfied with the rainy conditions, as the Swede particularly feared a dry track in favor of nine-time world champion Frenchman Sebastien Ogier, his colleague at Toyota.
The Frenchman completely lost his chances of winning a tenth world title after he finished the stage fourth, 20 seconds away from Solberg.
In addition to Evans and Solberg, there is another candidate for the title in 2026, Finnish Sami Payari, also at the wheel of a Toyota, after he finished the stage fifth on Friday, admitting that he felt less comfortable because of the mud.
Until Sunday, ten cars from three companies (five Toyota, three Hyundai, and two Ford Puma) will compete on Chilean soil, in the 12th stage of the World Championship.
The rally includes 16 special stages over a distance of 311 km, amid weather conditions expected to be volatile.
The 2026 title, two or three rallies away from the end (depending on whether the final stage is held in Saudi Arabia or not), will come down to Evans (216 points) and Payari (196 points), winner of three rallies in a row (Estonia, Finland, and Paraguay).
Solberg, temporarily third, with 175 points, is also still in the chase.
Enzo Maresca, coach of the English football team Manchester City, said that Enzo Fernandez transferred the mentality of victories to the team, which quickly impressed his teammates.
The British news agency, PA Media, reported that it had been less than two weeks since Fernandes joined Manchester City from Chelsea in a deal worth 125 million pounds ($169.18 million), which was a record deal in Britain, but the Argentine player’s influence inside the locker room was immediate.
“You can see how his teammates talk about him when it comes to the winning mentality,” Maresca said.
He added: “Players who have previously won and know how to achieve victories, it is important that they be part of our team.”
He continued: “He works hard every day, and he is polite. "It works well, and that's what we need."
He knows Marisca Fernandez well, having trained him when he was Chelsea's technical director for a season and a half.
The Manchester City coach has witnessed the development of the midfielder's performance, and now sees him as a much greater attacking threat.
The Italian coach said: “He is improving a lot.” Maybe during the last two years with us, he became a more attacking midfielder. “Before, he played in a slightly deeper position.”
He added: “He is amazing around the penalty area in terms of scoring and making goals, and he is also improving a lot in terms of leadership.”
Fernandes participated in his first match with Manchester City in the match in which they won against Coventry in the last round, after Marisca suddenly pushed him into the starting lineup instead of the bench, after Nico O’Reilly suffered an injury during the warm-up period.
The player also participated in the victory over Porto in the Champions League in midweek, and may maintain his place in the starting lineup during the summit match against Manchester United, scheduled to be held tomorrow, Sunday, at Old Trafford.
Richarlison's proposed transfer to Vasco da Gama, a Brazilian football club, has stalled, and the striker is expected to remain with Tottenham Hotspur until next January.
Tottenham had made it clear to the Brazilian striker, before the close of the transfer period in England, that he was not part of the first team’s plans for the current season.
But Richarlison failed to complete his return to his former club Everton before the transfer deadline on September 1, and after he was excluded from Tottenham’s 25-man squad to participate in the English Premier League last week, the possibility of him moving to Vasco da Gama also faltered.
Tottenham coach Roberto De Zerbe had started Richarlison in the team's opening league match against Brentford on August 22, but he said last Friday that the 29-year-old player "made all the decisions on his own", following his absence from the team's roster.
After the closure of the transfer periods in Turkey and Saudi Arabia last Friday and Sunday, respectively, one of the few opportunities remaining for Richarlison was to return to Brazil in a final transfer deal, especially since Tottenham had already exhausted its quota of 6 loans for players from outside England.
Vasco club, which Richarlison has supported since his childhood, has emerged as a realistic solution to the player’s crisis, and has already reached an agreement with Tottenham regarding the financial compensation on Friday, but Richarlison failed to reach an agreement on personal terms, according to what the British news agency “PA Media” learned.
With the transfer window closing in Brazil on Saturday, Richarlison is expected to continue with Tottenham during the first half of the season, despite his inability to participate in the English Premier League.
When De Zerbe was asked about the latest developments regarding Richarlison during the press conference on Friday, he said: “I don’t know.”
He added: “This is not my job. What I can say is that I know very well what the club did for Richarlison, and I know very well what Richarlison did for the club over the past month and the past two months.” He continued: “I know, the club knows, he knows, and his agent knows. “Everyone knows better than you (the media).”
It was reported that Richarlison tried this week to consider terminating the last nine months of his contract with Tottenham.
