Rally Sweden – Contenders in doubt

Winner last year with the Ford Puma Rally1, the Estonian who returned to Hyundai at the end of the 2023 season didn't really know which way to go. “ It's always tricky to discover a car on this type of terrain, he explained. Our tests went well, but they are still tests. We have to see if we can find the right tempo in the stages. I can't compare this i20 with the one I used in 2022. We were at the beginning of development. So I don't really know what to expect this weekend. However, it is certain that our ambition is to score as many points as possible. »

Elfyn Evans was even more cautious. After taking part in the Arctic Rally as preparation, the Welshman ended his trip to Finland with a victory, but also a lot of questions. Despite a new test session immediately, these were not lifted before the start. “ I still struggle to get completely comfortable when it comes to turning the carhe explained. We have made progress, but it is not yet perfect. This could be made very complicated if there is a lot of fresh snow. We must concentrate on our main opponents and try to finish ahead of them. »

Winner of Monte-Carlo, Thierry Neuville was the least optimistic of the three. “ We are going to have to open the road and we know that it will be very penalizing, he smiled. It's a classic here. I hope I can find a good rhythm with the car to compensate for this handicap. Our ambition is to aim for the podium, but we are aware that it will be very difficult. Kalle Rovanperä and Esapekka Lappi start with better positions, they risk racing in the lead while we must try to finish in front of Elfyn Evans. » Before the long day on Friday, these three competitors were grouped in 0 seconds after the opening special on Thursday evening.