Rally Sweden 2019
12h
Citroën mechanics on Lappi's C3 WRC:
Service is almost completed also for @EsapekkaLappi and #JanneFerm!#WRC #C3WRC pic.twitter.com/tvrTFfShxo
— Citroën Racing (@CitroenRacing) 15th February 2019
11h
The JWRC competitors have already struggled in the first pass:
The victims of the snow and ice of #RallySweden so far… pic.twitter.com/iVuzo4bw4v
— FIA Junior WRC (@FIAJuniorWRC) 15th February 2019
11h
Lappi: “My speed was quite good in the last SS even if it took me a little time to get into the rhythm this morning. I forgot how fast we go here. I pushed hard, but we'll see how it goes this afternoon. »
11h
Mikkelsen: “We saw that I wasn't wasting too much time with the second spare wheel. The second pass will be much more complicated. I damaged my Hyundai against a wall of snow. I thought I had a puncture, but I just lost a little aero because it was just bodywork. »
11h
Tidemand: “We don’t know what’s going on. I had problems with the accelerator. The car continued to accelerate when we braked, it wasn't easy. This added to the wiper issues encountered in SS2. I don't know what the second pass has in store, but it will surely be complicated. »
11h
Suninen: “I was a little surprised by my times even though I knew I was pretty clean and consistent. I still know that I have a good position on the road and that it will be harder tomorrow. The car behaves well, I feel it performs well. »
11h
Latvala: “It’s a fast rally. The difficulty is to anticipate the turns by throwing the car forward. There was quite a bit of snow and it was very pleasant. It's frustrating to destroy the roads knowing that we're going to go over them again. »
11h
Loeb: “I'm having trouble finding the rhythm. Things are going very fast with these cars and I'm having trouble gaining confidence. I have to progress stage after stage. Confidence is growing but it is not enough for the moment. I didn't have any scares, just a few brushes with the snow walls. It will be more complicated in the second passage, especially since some snow walls will have already been demolished. »
11h
Meeke: “I have no reason to complain. The feelings are good. I was a little cautious at times, I just need to gain a little speed. We know that the second pass is something completely different on this rally, it can be quite a mess. We'll see if we can take advantage of it. I see the trajectories. Cars that lag behind can be at a good advantage over those that open up. We are a bit in the middle of the pack (4th in the running order). This ordeal is in any case pleasant. »
11h
Tänak: “We had good conditions this morning. Everything happens very quickly on these narrow roads but it's nice to drive there with a high-performance car. Things are going well at the moment, but the second pass will be a different story. We will have to finish strong today. M-Sport is doing well at the moment (with Suninen's scratch), the Fiesta is in the mix. »
11h
Neuville: “A good morning. I was a little too careful in the first stage of the day. The last route was very bumpy. We will have to review the settings for the afternoon, especially as those behind us are very fast. »
11h
Ogier: “It’s not too bad. It's a good start for us. But we know that the hardest part is coming because the second passage will be more difficult, especially by starting first and having the national championship which will come before us. Conditions were good this morning, although not perfect. The car was running well. »
10h
The second passage of the first stage is scheduled from 13:54 p.m. The Swedish Rally can be followed live with our live text.
10h
Ott Tänak (Toyota) signed his second scratch by completing the 18,1km of Röjden, SS4 of the Swedish Rally, in 8'42''5. The leader of the event beat his teammate Jari-Matti Latvala by 2 tenths, while Elfyn Evans (M-Sport) followed a second behind.
Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) finished almost 2 seconds just ahead of the Finns Teemu Suninen (M-Sport), Esapekka Lappi (Citroën) and Andreas Mikkelsen (Hyundai).
Sébastien Ogier (Citroën) finished 5 seconds behind the benchmark. His compatriot Sébastien Loeb (Hyundai) failed by more than 8 seconds just behind Kris Meeke (Toyota). Victim of mechanical problems since SS3, Pontus Tidemand (M-Sport) lost almost 18 seconds.
While occupying 25th place in the general classification, Marcus Grönholm (Toyota) went off the road and seems to have finished for this stage.
Ott Tänak returns to service with a little more than 5 seconds ahead of Teemu Suninen and Jari-Matti Latvala. The Finn from Toyota overtook Thierry Neuville by 4 tenths. Sébastien Ogier completes the Top 5, 8 seconds behind the Belgian, ahead of Esapekka Lappi by a few tenths. Andreas Mikkelsen follows a handful of seconds ahead of Kris Meeke. Sébastien Loeb is 9th, one second ahead of Elfyn Evans.
10h
Great reaction from Evans who ranks one second behind the benchmark. The M-Sport driver in 10th position is less than 2 seconds behind Loeb.
10h
Confirmed exit from the road for Grönholm. The Toyota ended up in the trees and the crew got out of the cabin.
10h
Lappi sets the 5th time just over 2s behind the benchmark set by Tänak. The Citroën driver remains 6th but is only a few tenths behind Ogier. “The pace is evolving well. »
10h
Grönholm is stopped in the special at the 6th km. The GRX pilot would have had another encounter with a wall of snow. He was in 25th place overall.
10h
Mikkelsen sets the 5th time, almost 3 seconds behind the benchmark. “I destroyed the front left at the 5th km and I thought I had a puncture. I was able to continue like this. »
10h
Mikkelsen is playing with a damaged Hyundai at left front. The Norwegian remains on a good pace in the last split.
