Pierre Budar surprised by Esapekka Lappi's performance

Sébastien Ogier very early eliminated from the race for first places, Citroën Racing placed all his hopes in Sweden on his second point Esapekka Lappi.

And it is clear that the Finn did not give up in the fight opposing him to Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) pour la deuxième place, après être revenu dans la bagarre pour le podium après un départ marqué par un tête-à-queue.

The driver of the No. 3 C4 subsequently increased the tempo to finally maintain the advantage over Neuville at the end of the Power Stage and thus score a first podium with his new employer.

“I knew after the tests that we had worked well, and this was confirmed in this event which I particularly like, comments the former pilot Toyota, 4e sur ce rally last year.

The conditions this weekend were nevertheless somewhat different, so we gradually fine-tuned the settings of our C3 WRC, which allowed us to be more and more confident with it and to gain momentum over the kilometers. I am pleased to this result which launches our season, it's promising for the future. »

Pierre Budar “surprised”

Esapekka Lappi's performance above all confirmed the hopes placed by Citroën Racing in its winter recruit, who adapted perfectly to the more than complicated road conditions this weekend in Sweden, with snow often absent from the ES.

« Esapekka's performance is astonishing, confesses Pierre Budar, director of Citroën Racing. We obviously knew they were capable of achieving such results, but they still impressed us with their serenity, their solidity and the crescendo approach adopted after their spin on the first day.

They then knew how to gradually raise their voice without making any other mistakes. It's particularly satisfying to see them achieve the second best result of their WRC career, in their second race in the C3 WRC. »

Discover the full report and analysis of the Swedish Rally, produced by our special correspondent, in issue 2204 of AUTOhebdo, available from Tuesday evening in digital version and from this Thursday on newsstands.