Rally Sweden – Ice to determine the winner?

At the end of a day that saw two different sessions depending on the road conditions, the standings of the 72nd Rally Sweden remain completely undecided. With the special stages set to be very icy for the 2nd leg, who will be able to take advantage of these conditions?

Published 15/02/2025 à 09:07

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Rally Sweden – Ice to determine the winner?

Fragile leader with 0''6 lead Will Elfyn Evans take advantage of the ice today to cool down his opponents? (Photo: Nikos Katikis/DPPI)

As every year, road conditions played a major role during the first stage of the rally from Sweden. First to set off, Elfyn Evans was able to take advantage of the ice on the first loop to move into the lead and stay there until the midday break. Behind him, Adrien fourmaux was also able to show off its gliding qualities by staying in the wake of the Yaris.

Conversely, drivers further back had to try to adapt to a road surface where the churned up snow was difficult for the new Hankook tyres to digest. Thierry Neuville, Ott Tänak and especially Kalle Rovanperä had to make do while waiting for their turn. For the Belgian and the Estonian, it came during the 2^e loop. For the Finn on the other hand…

This time, Evans and Fourmaux had to retrace their tracks after all the cars had passed, including those from the historic rally. This caused a shake-up in the rankings. Everything was decided by the strategies applied in terms of tyres. Each chose the special where they wanted to attack while telling themselves that they had to save their tyres for the next one. This allowed several movements in the top ten with three changes of leaders in 4 SS. Takamoto Katsuta and Ott Tänak occasionally took the lead, but it was ultimately Elfyn Evans who finished in first place on Friday. Will all this be called into question today?

The analyses of the special stages predict 80% ice. Will the snow that fell last night for almost an hour change the situation? With the starting order in the opposite direction of the classification (Tänak will start 11^e, Taka 10^e, Evans 9^e …) will the conditions be as dominant? What role will the tires play during this 2^e stage while the mileage is less than the day before (42 km per loop)? The questions of saving the studs should not arise during this Saturday which should allow the 5 crews who are grouped in 9''1 to give it their all. The show promises to be interesting. Watch out for edge faults...

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