Adrien Fourmaux on the difficulty of the Swedish Rally: "It's beyond what the brain can handle."

Adrien fourmaux can he finally envision a victory in WRC If the question was legitimately raised prior to the Rally In Monte Carlo, Oliver Solberg's unparalleled speed on the snow-covered roads dashed French hopes. On the driver's home turf ToyotaThe Northerner had a good start to his weekend, although there are still many difficulties ahead in view of the Rally Sweden.

"It's a rally I've always enjoyed. It's really fun driving these cars on the snow," he commented with a smile to AUTOhebdo. "It's beyond what the brain can handle. When I first arrived here, I had to adapt. The aerodynamics here are really good. The speeds are high. You have to realize you're going 200 km/h on the ice. When you tell that to the average person, it can be frightening."

However, it seems that these conditions do not impress the pilot in the slightest. Hyundai. "Ultimately, the grip we manage to get on ice is enormous. It's sometimes even better than on dirt." He says. It's exhilarating. You always feel like the snowbanks can save you… Sometimes even catch you (laughs). This year, though, we can't count on them. When they're there, they're so small they don't hold the car back. We'll have to be precise and stay on the road as much as possible because we can't use the snowbanks for support.

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Having already experienced misadventures in Sweden due to the presence of these snow walls, Adrien Fourmaux has clearly identified the main challenge of this Swedish Rally. "There is still a good base of ice based on the reconnaissance," develops French. It's always difficult to know how deep the snow will be. We know that on some stages, we'll be hitting the dirt on the second pass. The first pass will be good, we'll have a lot of fun… On the second pass, we'll have to manage the tires and the studs, while still being competitive. It might require a different driving style, perhaps a bit smoother. It's not always easy, but that's the challenge we'll need to master this weekend.

The first special stage of the weekend will take place this Thursday evening, starting at 19:05 pm (French time), and will establish an initial hierarchy in the Swedish snow.

Interview by Pierre Barré, in Umeå, Sweden.