Latvala must recover in Sweden

Jari-Matti Latvala was considered Sébastien's direct rival Loeb before the start of the season. Unfortunately for the Flying Finn, his hopes of doing well in Monte-Carlo were dashed on the first stage with an exit from the track. The first driver of the Ford WRT team arrives in Sweden 28 points behind leader Sébastien Loeb. After his victory in 2008 and his podiums in the last two editions, he will aim for another place in the top three. His first attempts seemed to satisfy him.

“The podium is my goal”, says Jari-Matti Latvala. “I am satisfied with my first tests where I focused on the set-up of the car. I was clearly too aggressive with the settings last year and I modified them slightly. Driving on snow at such speeds is an incredible feeling. We catch up with the car more than on land, using the accelerator in particular to keep it straight. Studded tires provide good grip on ice and allow you to brake further than on dirt. This becomes more complicated on powder which gives the impression of driving on a completely wet road. The car is slipping on the snow and you have to brake sooner. »