Snow, the flyhalf position, the return of Rovanperä: Neuville faces the elements in Sweden

Confidence is at its maximum in the clan Hyundai and for the duo Thierry Neuville – Martijn Wydaeghe. The Belgian crew, big winner of the Rally Monte-Carlo after an epic duel against Sébastien Ogier, made an impression and established itself as one of the favorites for this 2024 season of the WRC.

Arriving in Sweden with the status of championship leader, the Hyundai driver will however have to play with the elements by opening the road during the first two days of racing, Thursday and Friday. Far from being the easiest position on the snowy roads of Scandinavia, the opener is regularly left behind on Friday evenings. Last year, Kalle Rovanperä lost around thirty seconds on the leaders by sweeping the road, a significant gap which deprived him of the podium two days later in Sweden.

Don't be afraid!

Nothing to disturb Thierry Neuville, who begins this rally weekend with newfound confidence in his Hyundai i20 N Rally1. “We are expecting a lot of snow and very cold temperatures in Sweden. This is something that was manageable last year, but has been a little more difficult before. For this reason, we will need a lot of precision and responsiveness from the car to be able to launch it from corner to corner and maximize its efficiency., he explains ahead of the Swedish Rally.

“Snowbanks obviously represent a huge risk, especially when temperatures are higher than usual. When it's freezing, they're something you can count on to help you position yourself better and go faster, adds the Belgian. Clean driving, tire management and road position are all factors that can make the rally very difficult, but from our experience last year the first day was on a level playing field. . I have always enjoyed Rally Sweden, so we will aim for a good result. »

Despite his position as opener, Thierry Neuville will be able to rely on his experience on the Swedish Rally (12th participation in 2024, a victory in 2018) to alleviate this handicap at the start of the event. However, facing vengeful rivals after the defeat at Monte-Carlo (Elfyn Evans, Ott Tänak) and above all, faced with the return of the reigning double world champion Kalle Rovanperä, the Belgian will not have to spare his efforts if he wants to leave Sweden with still the status of leader of the championship.

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