12h
Meeke's Citroën is refurbished at mid-stage service:
Quick service and let's go for the second loop!#WRC #RallySweden #C3WRC #KeepPushing pic.twitter.com/UDroewRv1Q
— Citroën Racing (@CitroenRacing) 16th February 2018
11h
The first stage of Rally Sweden will resume from 13:41 p.m.
11h
Meeke: “I struggled to find confidence on these snowy stages. Our position on the road (4th) is not optimal and we lack pace, but we are at least ahead of Ogier. The second pass will perhaps be a little simpler, but the day will be long. »
11h
Ogier: “I didn't make any big mistakes, except when I stalled at the start of a stage, but the fresh snow slowed us down a lot. I can only try to do my best but it's a difficult day. »
10h
Andreas Mikkelsen (Hyundai) scored his first scratch at the Swedish Rally by completing SS4 at Röjden, the last course of the morning, in 10'18"5. The Norwegian took almost two seconds from his teammate Thierry Neuville who was a few tenths ahead of Mads Ostberg (Citroën), Esapekka Lappi (Toyota) and Craig Breen (Citroën). Hayden Paddon (Hyundai) finished four seconds ahead of Teemu Suninen (M-Sport). Jari-Matti Latvala (Toyota) dropped more than seven seconds from the race lead.
Kris Meeke (Citroën) marks the break in the peloton with a delay of more than 15 seconds. The Northern Irishman finished ahead of Ott Tänak (M-Sport) and Sébastien Ogier (M-Sport) ranked 22 seconds from the scratch. It was another bad stage for M-Sport as Elfyn Evans lost more than one victim when he suffered a right-rear puncture after hitting a divot in the road.
Thierry Neuville retains the lead of Rally Sweden at the break but is only 3” ahead of Andreas Mikkelsen. Esapekka Lappi follows five seconds ahead of Mads Ostberg. Craig Breen is further back in fifth place, 7 seconds behind the race lead. The Irishman has a two-second lead over Jari-Matti Latvala. Ott Tänak is in seventh position ahead of Teemu Suninen. Kris Meeke is already isolated in tenth place, having around ten seconds ahead of Sébastien Ogier. Elfyn Evans is 15th.
O/A after SS41. Neuville 2. Mikkelsen +3.73. Lappi +5.34. Ostberg +7.45. Breen +156. Latvala +177. Tanak +19.48. Paddon +19.59. Suninen +20.410. Meeke +38.711. Ogier +47.7#WRC #RallySweden pic.twitter.com/DEVOvWdrY7
— Michelin Motorsport (@Michelin_Sport) 16th February 2018
10h
Ostberg shines again by setting the 3rd time, 2″2 from the scratch. The Citroën driver is in 4th place, 2s behind Lappi. “I did my best but it’s complicated with this snow. There is clearly room to do better. »
10h
Paddon takes 5th time from Suninen, finishing 4”1 behind the benchmark. The Hyundai driver is in 7th place, one tenth behind Tänak. “The last portion was very complicated with all this snow. We want to attack but it's difficult. We slip more and we can lose time. »
10h
Suninen achieves the 5th provisional time, 4″4 behind Mikkelsen’s time. The M-Sport driver is best placed in Malcolm Wilson's team, in 7th place, one second behind Tänak.
10h
Breen signs the 4th fastest time, 3″4 behind Mikkelsen. The Citroën driver is in provisional 4th place, 15 seconds from the lead of the race. “This special was a lot of fun. »
10h
Mikkelsen took the provisional scratch with a time of 10'18"5 where he was ahead of his teammate Neuville by almost 2 seconds. The Norwegian climbs to 2nd place with a 1”6 lead over Lappi. “The conditions were tricky but we got through it well. It's going well so far. »
10h
Lappi is closest to Neuville with a second delay. The Toyota driver remains 5s behind the Belgian. “I hit something at full speed and I was sure I had broken something. » It seems that it is the same trap that also surprises Meeke and Evans.
10h
Evans lost more than a minute by finishing 1'37 off the provisional scratch. The M-Sport driver suffered a right-rear puncture. “I hit a rock in a very fast sector. It was a big surprise. »
10h
Evans tries to reach the finish of the SS with a puncture. The M-Sport driver occupies 12th place, already being the last leading driver on this rally.
10h
Neuville is still the fastest at the finish with a time of 10'20″4 where he is ahead of Latvala by 5″5. “We had to be careful because there was really a lot of snow. We have to keep a good pace without taking too many risks. » The Finn is now 17s behind the Hyundai driver at the top of the general classification.
10h
Meeke is the closest to Latvala with 8 seconds behind. “I hit something in a straight line. It was a big shock, I thought I had a puncture. That's the problem with snow, you can't see anything. » The Citroën driver is still around 20s behind Tänak in the general classification.
10h
Latvala takes the provisional scratch with a time of 10'25″9. Tänak is relegated to more than 11s while Ogier is more than 14s. “There was a lot of fresh snow towards the end of the special and we no longer had any grip. I am surprised by the difficulty of the conditions. »
10h
Ogier set a time of 10'40"5, quickly beaten by his former teammate Tänak who achieved a time of 10'37"1 which beat the Frenchman by 3"4. “We can't do anything, we will inevitably be slower. » Same frustration as for Ogier.
10h
Ogier concludes: “It’s hard but it’s normal… It’s the weather in Sweden, there’s snow. » The Frenchman seems quite annoyed by his position on the road.
10h
Ogier suffered a scare when he lost the rear of his Ford, brushing against the wall of snow which allowed him to stay on the road.
10h
The crews fit new studded tires before the start of SS4:
Tire change by the crews before the SS4 #WRC #RallySweden pic.twitter.com/T8gUkuQCSy
— Michelin Motorsport (@Michelin_Sport) 16th February 2018
