"What a day !" for Neuville in Sweden

La contre-performance de Hyundai Motorsport au Monte-Carlo a permis aux équipages du constructeur coréen de bénéficier de bonnes positions sur la route dans la première étape du Rally from Sweden.

Thierry Neuville was the fastest on the first day of the Scandinavian event, finishing retaining the lead with less than five seconds ahead of teammate Andreas Mikkelsen.

" What a day ! We had to just do what we could by starting in the middle compared to the positions on the road, explains the vice-world champion. We wanted to be both fast and consistent without making any mistakes. The car performed well, the settings were good and I was comfortable behind the wheel. The crews in front of us suffered from being swept away by the snow. I had the impression every time I attacked that I was making trajectories for the opponents who were following me and it was difficult to find the right balance. We are fighting for victory here, but we will see what tomorrow brings. »

After his disappointment in Monte-Carlo where he had to restart in Rally 2 following a mechanical problem while fighting for the lead of the event, Andreas Mikkelsen once again finds himself in a position to aim for the top step of the podium .

“The first pass allowed us to gain confidence and find the right rhythm, comments the Norwegian. I was able to progress stage after stage until I achieved the scratch before the break. I am satisfied with our progress. Of course, it is obvious that the crews in front of us were at a disadvantage, but it was still difficult for us as well. We remained cautious in certain sectors. I'm still riding with a bit of reserve, but I'll take more risks if I push harder. In any case, I really enjoyed driving on Norwegian roads. »

Avec la faute d’Esapekka Lappi (Toyota) parti à la faute dans l’ES6 de Svullrya, Hayden Paddon a pu offrir à Hyundai un tiercé de tête monopolisé par les i20 WRC at the end of the first stage as he competed in his first rally on this mount after being replaced by Dani Sordo in Monte-Carlo.

“The objective was to get back into rhythm, confirms the New Zealander. The conditions were not easy. We had to be careful to stay on the lines and adapt both the car and my driving to the profile of the stages. The ruts were more pronounced in the second pass. You became a passenger if you left the trajectory and I had to ease up a little at times. My position on the road helped a lot. There remains room for progress, but our positions are encouraging. »

“Leading the rally in the first three places is a nice bonus, but we are not going to distract ourselves from that, nuance Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Michel Nandan. The gaps were really tight today and I expect it to continue like that. Just one bad stage and you can lose many positions. You must remain vigilant on each route. »

The Hyundais are closely followed by the Citroën C3 WRCs of Craig Breen and Mads Ostberg who are about twelve seconds from the lead of the race.