Elfyn Evans (Toyota): "It's way too early to get carried away"

How do you explain your comfort in Sweden, five years after your first success here?

(Laughs) I don't really know. It's a beautiful rally that I have always enjoyed. The road profile suits my riding well. It is fluid, with very high speeds, a bit like in Finland.

Did you think you could win before the start?

No. After the reconnaissance, I thought that with the conditions in which we were going to race, it might be possible to fight. At the shakedown, we saw that the ice could give us a small advantage, but I expected to suffer a lot on Friday afternoon. In fact, it went much better than I feared. The way we negotiated this stage is what satisfies me the most at the end of this round.

Is that when you realized that victory was possible?

Indeed. It was still very close with several other crews and I tried not to think too much about first place, but it was certain that we still had our chances.

Throughout the race, you were one of the few drivers who never complained about the car or the tires. Does that mean you had a perfect race?

It was fun to chat with other competitors and to realize how different our perceptions or analyses could be at the end of the special stages. From my test day, I found settings that suited me well and even if I tried to go in other directions, I always came back to the starting position. The same during the race. Despite the conditions, I made almost no changes to my car except for a few shock absorber clicks.

With two podiums, including a victory, are you well on your way to the title?

It’s only the beginning of the season. At the moment, it seems that the package we have is working in our favour. However, we must not forget that we have just competed in two very specific events and that we will not be using these studded tyres from the season… It is far too early to get carried away.

Comments collected by Loïc Rocci

ALSO READ > Winner in Sweden, is Elfyn Evans on course for the title?