Rally Sweden’s opening day delivered icy chaos, blistering speed, and dramatic lead changes, with Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin barely clinging onto the top spot after an electrifying battle that saw the lead swap hands four times between Takamoto Katsuta, Ott Tänak, and Evans himself.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver started strong, blasting through the frigid -12°C conditions to claim the first stage, but found himself under relentless pressure as Adrien Fourmaux stunned the field with back-to-back stage wins. While Katsuta seized the lead on Stage 5, Evans responded immediately, only to succumb to Tänak’s Hyundai i20 N on Stage 7.
Despite the chaos, Evans clawed back time on the final 5.1km sprint, finishing the day just 0.6 seconds ahead of a resurgent Katsuta, who closed the gap with ice-cold precision.
Hyundai’s Charge & Toyota’s Resilience
Hyundai’s Ott Tänak showcased dominant late pace, climbing from fourth to snatch the lead before Evans’ last-gasp fightback. Meanwhile, Thierry Neuville, Kalle Rovanperä, and Grégoire Munster struggled with understeer, bleeding time in the tricky conditions.
At the midday service, Evans led by just 1.9 seconds over Fourmaux, with Tänak and Katsuta hot on his heels—the top four separated by a mere 8.4 seconds.
The afternoon’s stages turned into a shootout, with Katsuta, Tänak, Neuville, and Evans each claiming a stage victory, setting up a thrilling finale. By the end of the day, the top five drivers were covered by only 9.1 seconds, ensuring an all-out war on Saturday.
Snowbank Drama & Rising Stars
Sami Pajari was on fire early on, but a love-tap to a snowbank cost him 40 seconds and a damaged tyre. Meanwhile, Latvian sensation Martins Sesks grew in confidence, clocking third-fastest times on two stages and emerging as M-Sport’s best performer on the icy terrain.
Rally2: Solberg in Command
Oliver Solberg dominated the Rally2 class, winning five of the day’s seven stages to build a 20.7-second lead over Roope Korhonen. Georg Linnamäe, despite winning Stage 6, trails in third—45 seconds off the pace.
Saturday Showdown Incoming!
With less than 10 seconds separating the top five, Toyota and Hyundai locked in battle, and the snow-covered Swedish stages demanding perfection, Rally Sweden is shaping up to be a relentless war of speed, precision, and icy nerves.
Will Evans hold on? Can Katsuta claim his first WRC win? Or will Tänak storm through with Hyundai’s power? Buckle up—the fight for the Rally Sweden crown is just getting started!
