Relive the third day of the 2026 Rally Sweden with live text commentary

Takamoto Katsuta is currently leading the Rally From Sweden, will the Japanese driver be able to maintain his position on Saturday? Seven special stages are scheduled to start at 10:10 AM, with a 1-2-3 finish at the moment. Toyota Katsuta leads the overall standings ahead of Elfyn Evans and Sami Pajari. Monte Carlo Rally winner Oliver Solberg sits in sixth place after opening all the stages on Friday; can the Swede climb the rankings today?

Before diving into this third day of the Rally Sweden, let's look back at Friday's events, with our special correspondent Pierre Barré in Umeå, Sweden, and in video!

The program for Saturday, February 14th:
10:10 a.m. – SS9: Vännäs 1 – 15,70 km – Elfyn Evans
11:05 PM – ES10: Sarsjöliden 1 – 16,72 km – Martins Sesks
11:59 a.m. – SS11: Kolksele 1 – 16,94 km – Oliver solberg
15:10 a.m. – SS12: Vännäs 2 – 15,70 km – Sami Pajari
16:05 PM – ES13: Sarsjöliden 2 – 16,72 km – Elfyn Evans
16:59 a.m. – SS14: Kolksele 2 – 16,94 km – Sami Pajari
18:05 p.m. – SS15: Umeå Sprint 2 – 5,70 km - Thierry Neuville

WRC – Rally Sweden
Day three live text

18:50 p.m. – 🏁 Join us tomorrow morning at 7:30 am to follow the conclusion of this second round of the World Rally Championship together!

18h50 - We end this day with the results of SS15:

And that of the general:

18:41 p.m. – SS15: 💬 Takamoto Katsuta: « I did my best on this stage, but I went wide at a junction. It's a shame, I lost a few tenths there, but there's still one more day. I'm not happy with my Saturday, but I hope we can find what went wrong and have a good day on Sunday.

18:40 – SS15: Takamoto Katsuta crosses the finish line, and the Japanese driver finishes second in the special stage, 1,1 seconds behind. Thierry Neuville, who signs a scratch today!

18:37 p.m. – SS15: 💬 Elfyn Evans: "This morning was very good, but it was a bit more mixed in the afternoon. Saving tires isn't my specialty, but it was still clean. The challenge will be significant this Sunday to finish the rally."

18:36 – SS15: Elfyn Evans crosses the finish line, 3,2 seconds slower than Thierry Neuville, but the main thing is that the Welshman is still in the lead at the end of the day!

18:34 p.m. – SS15: 💬 Sami Pajari: “I’m quite satisfied, especially with the afternoon loop. I had a good feeling with the car, in really wintry conditions. There’s still a long day on Sunday, but we’re in a good position. I tried to put a bit of pressure on Taka, but he’s still quite fast, so it wasn’t easy.”

18:34 – SS15: Sami Pajari finishes 1,8 seconds behind Thierry Neuville, who currently retains the best time.

18:31 p.m. – SS15: 💬 Esapekka Lappi: “From the last stage of the morning onwards, I was able to produce my driving style and I felt more comfortable in the car. This afternoon it was a bit the opposite; I don't really know why we lost time in the second and third stages.”

18:31 – SS15: Esapekka Lappi finished 3,7 seconds behind schedule.

18:28 p.m. – SS15: 💬 Adrien fourmaux : "I have to say we picked up the pace today, so thanks to the team for that. It's encouraging for tomorrow. I made a small mistake at a junction, we lost quite a bit of time, but the afternoon was positive, so we'll take the positives and get back to it tomorrow!"

18:27 – SS15: Adrien Fourmaux crossed the finish line, finishing fourth, three seconds behind Thierry Neuville.

18:25 p.m. – SS15: 💬 Oliver Solberg: “It was a tricky afternoon, clearly. The road was so slippery, it was difficult to find rhythm and confidence. That's how it is, but it's already good to be fourth at the end of the day, it's something at least. It's not where I want to be, honestly, but now I can attack flat out until the finish.”

18:24 – SS15: Oliver Solberg uses the snow walls a bit in the Arena at the end of the course, and the Swede concedes 1,2 seconds to Neuville.

18:22 p.m. – SS15: 💬 Thierry Neuville: "It was a good day in the car; we had a good pace relative to the speed we can get out of the car at the moment. The conditions were more consistent than yesterday, so that helped. That's all we have for now, but at least we had a bit of fun."

18:21 – SS15: Thierry Neuville finishes with a 2,2 second lead over Armstrong.

18:19 p.m. – SS15: 💬 Jon Armstrong: "The conditions are very good. I think it's frozen over again; there are some crevasses that are quite difficult to manage in the ice, but otherwise the car is working very well and I'm happy with our setup and our day."

18:18 – SS15: The last of the Ford Pumas finishes, with Jon Armstrong. The Irishman sets the fastest time, 2,5 seconds ahead.

18:16 p.m. – SS15: 💬 Josh McErlean: "It was a good day, especially the morning. We struggled with something in the evening, particularly the headlights. The day was better than yesterday, and we still have a big day ahead tomorrow with the longest stage of the rally to be run twice."

18:15 – SS15: The day is over for Josh McErlean who finishes with a six-tenths lead over Sesks.

18:13 p.m. – SS15: 💬 Lorenzo Bertelli: I really enjoyed the day; it was very clean, we had a pretty good pace with good intermediate sections, so I really liked it!

18:12 – SS15: Lorenzo Bertelli finished the race, conceding only 2,6 seconds to Sesks.

18:10 p.m. – SS15: 💬 Mārtiņš Sesks: "I don't know what's going on, I'm just the driver! We'll see at the service park, but the car seems to be working well enough for us to drive. The car jumps even better without the aero at the front; it was an interesting lap."

18:09 – SS15: Mārtiņš Sesks finished with a time of 3:52.6.

18:07 – SS15: From the start of the special stage, Sesks had an alarm on his dashboard concerning the water pressure.

18:05 p.m. – SS15: 🟢 Mārtiņš Sesks takes off first in this Umeå Sprint!

17h44 - We'll meet again at 18:05 PM for the last special stage of the day, the Umeå Sprint!

17h43 - Let's take a look at the standings for this fourteenth special stage:

And the provisional general classification:

17:39 p.m. – SS14: 💬 Takamoto Katsuta: "It's better. There are a few studs missing; it's very strange to see that on the tires. I'm not really sure how to conserve them, but I did my best. The feeling is strange."

17:38 – SS14: After struggling since the start of the day, Takamoto Katsuta made a strong comeback this evening, setting the second fastest time and losing only three tenths to Pajari!

17:36 p.m. – SS14: 💬 Elfyn Evans: « There's very little grip; I don't know if it's the tires or what, but it's difficult to ride with so little grip.

17:35 – SS14: Elfyn Evans finishes, conceding 2,9 seconds to Pajari, but he retains a comfortable lead in the overall standings.

17:33 p.m. – SS14: 💬 Sami Pajari: "As long as I'm faster than Oliver, it's fine! There are several tricky spots on the stage, maybe I'm having a mental issue, but I really enjoyed the stage!"

17:32 – SS14: Sami Pajari finished 2,4 seconds faster than Adrien Fourmaux, therefore the Finn had the best time.

17:31 p.m. – SS14: 💬 Esapekka Lappi: « There's a lot of ice in some places where you can really get a good grip thanks to the studs, and elsewhere it's very slippery. Visibility isn't good either, there's a lot of snow in the air, but we're managing!

17:30 – SS14: Esapekka Lappi finished 1,8 seconds behind, and is now 8,6 seconds behind Solberg in the fight for fourth place.

17:27 p.m. – SS14: 💬 Adrien Fourmaux: " I'm quite satisfied with the changes I'm making. It's working well, and my goal is to optimize everything for tomorrow, a bit like at Monte Carlo. We seem to be heading in the right direction.

17:26 – SS14: Fastest time at the finish for Adrien Fourmaux, with an eight-tenths lead over Neuville!

17:24 p.m. – SS14: 💬 Oliver Solberg: « I went a little wide in one spot, but otherwise it's fine. It's so slippery, it's truly incredible.

17:24 – SS14: Solberg finished 1,6 seconds behind schedule.

17:21 p.m. – SS14: 💬 Thierry Neuville: "I'm satisfied, I had a clean stage. I lost power in the last six kilometers, I don't know what happened."

17:20 – SS14: Thierry Neuville finished 3,6 seconds ahead.

17:18 p.m. – SS14: 💬 Jon Armstrong: "I feel pretty good! It was a very tricky stage, and there were some pretty hot spots. I also saw sparks starting to come out of the tire studs, which definitely means they're starting to wear a bit."

17:17 – SS14: Jon Armstrong takes the lead in the special stage, with a 12,4 second advantage over his teammate McErlean.

17:15 p.m. – SS14: 💬 Josh McErlean: "Our headlights went out at certain points during the special stage, so when you're going 180 km/h and that happens, you can imagine how scary it is!"

17:15 – SS14: Josh McErlean finished 11,3 seconds ahead.

17:12 p.m. – SS14: 💬 Lorenzo Bertelli: I tried to have as much fun as possible and I went straight into an intersection.

17:12 – SS14: Bertelli finished 6,6 seconds behind schedule.

17:11 – SS14: Lorenzo Bertelli makes a mistake at a right-hand intersection, but the Italian gets going again quickly.

17:10 p.m. – SS14: 💬 Mārtiņš Sesks: "It's not easy driving with less aerodynamic downforce at the front; the car was sliding quite a bit. A red warning light on the dashboard? Maybe." he added with a wry smile, a sign that the mechanical problem might not be too serious!

17:09 – SS14: 9:14.0 for Sesks at the finish of the special stage, the Latvian lost more than thirty seconds compared to this morning.

17:07 PM – SS14: 🛠️ Mechanical problem for Mārtiņš Sesks who slows down at the end of the special stage.

17h03 - ES14: It is now completely dark in Umeå and the surrounding area, there will be less difference between the conditions for the pilots who start first compared to those who follow.

16:59 p.m. – SS14: 🟢 Mārtiņš Sesks is off on the penultimate special stage of the day, the second pass through Kolksele and its 16,94km.

16h51 - The afternoon stages continue at a frenetic pace, with SS14 starting at 16:59 PM.

16h49 - The classification of this SS13:

And the general ranking:

16:44 p.m. – SS13: 💬 Takamoto Katsuta: "I made some adjustments and finally found something that's a bit better. I'm still very disappointed, but I'm staying focused and I hope we can find even better changes."

16:44 – SS13: Takamoto Katsuta finishes 2,6 seconds behind, gaining time on Pajari.

16:41 p.m. – SS13: 💬 Elfyn Evans: "I was on the edge in some places; the rear of the car was much more slippery than this morning. It's still going pretty well, the road is fairly clean, but the rear end was just slipping out of my way at certain times."

16:41 – SS13: Elfyn Evans finished 3,8 seconds ahead, and the Welshman will increase his lead in the general classification.

16:38 p.m. – SS13: 💬 Sami Pajari: "I'm only eight-tenths of a second behind? Not bad! It's starting to get dark, and when you're driving through snow suspended in the air, it's certainly interesting."

16:38 – SS13: Sami Pajari concedes eight tenths to Oliver Solberg, the Finn maintains more than 28 seconds lead in the general classification.

16:35 p.m. – SS13: 💬 Esapekka Lappi: " The faster the stage, the more my co-driver Enni (Mälkonen) enjoys it; she's a bit odd! I struggle a bit with those long sections in fifth gear, where you suddenly launch the car, but she loves it, she loves the danger!

16:35 – SS13: Esapekka Lappi finishes with the fifth fastest time, 3,7 seconds off the pace. Solberg extends his lead slightly, now 9,2 seconds ahead of the Finn from [company name missing]. Hyundai.

16:33 p.m. – SS13: 💬 Adrien Fourmaux: " I tried to optimize everything and avoid getting caught out by the snowbanks. I changed the shock absorber settings and it seems to be working. I think Esapekka is on fire right now, so we'll see what's possible!

16:32 – SS13: Adrien Fourmaux stayed in contact with Solberg throughout the special stage, but he finished five tenths of a second behind the Swede.

16:29 p.m. – SS13: 💬 Oliver Solberg: I would have liked to take more time on this stage, but it was quite slippery. I'm doing my best this afternoon, but it's so slippery that there's not much you can do.

16:29 – SS13: Oliver Solberg finishes 2,3 seconds ahead, taking the best time.

16:26 p.m. – SS13: 💬 Thierry Neuville: “ It wasn't too bad. I had a lot of understeer, like this morning, so I recorded a lot of marks on the telemetry for the engineers to look into.

16:26 – SS13: Thierry Neuville is unable to dislodge the Irishman, he finishes 1,3 seconds behind Armstrong.

16:23 p.m. – SS13: 💬 Jon Armstrong: "I had to be brave, the rear was sliding quite a bit! It's a crazy stage, I made two or three small mistakes, I could have gone faster. I didn't feel like I was going that fast, but if you can keep the rear under control you can carry a lot of speed through the corners."

16:23 – SS13: Excellent run from Jon Armstrong who beat his teammate McErlean by 11,5 seconds!

16:20 p.m. – SS13: 💬 Josh McErlean: It's crazy how much we're sweeping the racing line. That's just how it is, but it's always fun to drive here.

16:20 – SS13: Josh McErlean takes the best time with a 1,5 second lead.

16:18 p.m. – SS13: 💬 Lorenzo Bertelli: "I'm having fun driving, I'd like to go faster but there's absolutely no grip. I could take corners flat out this morning and now I had to brake and I'm losing a second per kilometer!"

16:17 – SS13: Lorenzo Bertelli finished 11,8 seconds behind Sesks.

16:15 p.m. – SS13: 💬 Mārtiņš Sesks: « I had damage to the front left on the previous stage, and on such a fast stage it's annoying to lose so much downforce. It won't be the best time, that's for sure.

16:14 – SS13: 8:22.0 for Mārtiņš Sesks, who won the special stage in 7:56 this morning.

16:11 – SS13: The sun is gradually setting, Lorenzo Bertelli has already switched on the headlights on his Toyota Yaris Rally1!

16:09 – SS13: The pace is definitely very different on this ES13 compared to the 12, with many more long fast sections.

16:07 – SS13: Once again, it is -16°C in the thirteenth special stage of the rally, but gravel is appearing more and more, and this could make the special stage particularly slippery.

16:05 p.m. – SS13: 🟢 Mārtiņš Sesks is off and running on the second pass of Sarsjöliden.

15h56 - We also take stock of the overall standings, less than ten minutes before SS13:

15h56 - The results of this twelfth special stage, won by Sami Pajari:

15:50 p.m. – SS12: 💬 Takamoto Katsuta: "I'm still not very happy with the car, I still don't have grip and I'm having a lot of difficulties."

15:49 – SS12: Takamoto Katsuta sets the third fastest time at the finish, conceding 3,2 seconds to Pajari, but gaining seven tenths on Evans! The Welshman leads the overall standings by 15,4 seconds over the Japanese driver, and 25,1 over the Finn.

15:47 p.m. – SS12: 💬 Elfyn Evans: "The conditions are quite tricky. I feel like in some places the tires are suffering, but in others it's very slippery."

15:46 – SS12: Elfyn Evans finished 3,9 seconds behind, and conditions now look like they are deteriorating.

15:44 p.m. – SS12: 💬 Sami Pajari: " I hope it's a scratch race! I have to say we had a good run. It's a great feeling, but I also have to point out that the chicane after the finish is really dangerous, someone's going to go off!

15:43 – SS12: Sami Pajari finished 1,1 seconds ahead. The Finn seemed destined to keep an eye on Oliver Solberg's comeback in the overall standings, but at this pace, he'll likely attack Takamoto Katsuta for second place!

15:41 p.m. – SS12: 💬 Esapekka Lappi: " "I felt it was much more slippery than the first run; I made two or three small mistakes, but the time is there."

15:40 – SS12: Fastest time at the finish for Esapekka Lappi, with a 4,5 second lead.

15:38 p.m. – SS12: 💬 Adrien Fourmaux: “We only have one spare wheel, so we’re lighter, but I also tried something with the shock absorbers, we’ll see if it works or not. It seems to be okay, we’ll see if that’s the case on the next stages.”

15:38 – SS12: Adrien Fourmaux finishes, and he does not manage to beat Solberg's time, but by an extremely narrow margin, a tiny tenth!

15:36 p.m. – SS12: 💬 Oliver Solberg: « It's so slippery and difficult! There's starting to be a lot of gravel; it was really like an ice rink. I tried to take care of the tires, but the others could go much faster.

15:35 – SS12: Oliver Solberg took the best time on the special stage, with a 3,3 second lead over Thierry Neuville.

15:33 p.m. – SS12: 💬 Thierry Neuville: « The stage is getting faster and faster for each car, so I'm surprised I'm not faster than the guys who started ahead, but that's how it goes.

15:32 – SS12: Best time now for Thierry Neuville, with a 2,8 second lead over Armstrong.

15:29 – SS12: 💬 Jon Armstrong: “On the first pass, there was no crevasse, but now there is, and as a result, crossing the finish line at full speed and then braking is very difficult! We made some adjustments to the settings, and it seems to be working well. We mainly adjusted the anti-roll bars.”

15:29 – SS12: The improvements continue, Jon Armstrong finishes 6,2 seconds ahead of McErlean, despite a mistake… after the finish line!

15:26 p.m. – SS12: 💬 Josh McErlean: "There's still quite a bit of snow on the racing lines, the grip is a little less than on the first pass, we can't carry as much speed."

15:26 – SS12: End of special stage for Josh McErlean, who is 1,7 seconds ahead of Sesks.

15:23 p.m. – SS12: 💬 Lorenzo Bertelli: "I had fun driving, I was faster at the start of the special stage but I lost quite a bit of time because the road is in worse condition than this morning."

15:23 – SS12: Lorenzo Bertelli finished 13,5 seconds behind schedule.

15:20 p.m. – SS12: 💬 Mārtiņš Sesks: « "From the first pass I knew there was a tight, narrow turn, but on the second pass it was completely slippery so I went off the track a bit. I don't know if it was a good line or not, but it was a line!"

15:20 – SS12: Mārtiņš Sesks finishes with a time of 9:06.6. For comparison, he went more than ten seconds faster this morning.

15:19 – SS12: McErlean and Bertelli are also in the special.

15:15 – SS12: After all the competitors had run this morning, the ice was inevitably a bit roughed up, meaning drivers will need to conserve their tires as much as possible throughout the afternoon. All the Rally1 cars carried two spare tires, except for Adrien Fourmaux who only took one.

15:10 p.m. – SS12: 🟢 Mārtiņš Sesks is off and running, the first to start this twelfth timed section! The Latvian, like his rivals, will have to contend with the setting sun throughout the special stage.

15h09 - The Vännäs special stage and its 15,7km will start this afternoon's loop, it is currently -14°C, which could allow the ice not to have deteriorated too much.

15h02 - Welcome back to AUTOhebdo.fr, the afternoon loop will begin at the Rally Sweden with four special stages on the program! The same three as this morning, and the Umeå Sprint, run for the second time this weekend.

12h45 - The overall standings for this Rally Sweden, we'll be back at 15:10 PM for the first special stage of the afternoon!

12:39 – SS11: Oliver Solberg therefore takes the scratch time on this eleventh special stage:

12:39 p.m. – SS11: 💬 Takamoto Katsuta: "I'm losing so much time, I'm not comfortable in the car, I have no grip, I don't know what's going on, but we need to find out what's wrong. It's the same car as yesterday, that's why I don't understand."

12:38 – SS11: The Japanese driver concedes 6,7 seconds to his teammate Solberg, he is now 16,1 seconds behind Evans in the general classification, and 12,9 seconds ahead of Pajari.

12:37 – SS11: Leading the rally before the morning loop, Takamoto Katsuta will start to feel the pressure from Sami Pajari based on his intermediate times…

12:36 p.m. – SS11: 💬 Elfyn Evans: "The feeling is pretty good, we're managing everything well so far. The middle stage of the loop wasn't easy, but the other two were better."

12:35 – SS11: Elfyn Evans finishes nine tenths behind Oliver Solberg, but he should increase his overall lead over Katsuta, who is next to arrive.

12:33 p.m. – SS11: 💬 Sami Pajari: "It's no surprise to be Solberg's target! I had a good stage, but there are still many kilometers to go."

12:32 – SS11: Sami Pajari finishes 1,3 seconds behind Solberg, which allows the Finn to maintain a 24-second lead over the Swede in the overall standings.

12:30 p.m. – SS11: 💬 Esapekka Lappi: "It's really great, the conditions are perfect. The spectators might be cold, but for us it's really very pleasant on this rally, it has to be said!"

12:29 – SS11: The special stage ends for Esapekka Lappi who finishes second, 4,1 seconds behind Solberg, while now taking a 9,3-second lead in the overall standings over Fourmaux.

12:27 p.m. – SS11: 💬 Adrien Fourmaux: "It was a new special stage for everyone, the conditions are excellent and we're having fun. We're doing our best to improve our feeling for tomorrow and score Super Sunday points. I can't do much more, I'm happy with my driving."

12:26 – SS11: Nine seconds behind at the finish for Adrien Fourmaux, the Hyundais continue to struggle in Sweden.

12:24 p.m. – SS11: 💬 Oliver Solberg: « Sami is the target, that's for sure! I'm a bit far back, but we'll make sure to catch up. The conditions are magnificent; it's not so easy to attack at 100% because the snow walls aren't very high, but we're doing the best we can with what we have.

12:23 – SS11: And we have a new leader of the special stage! Oliver Solberg finishes with a 5,9 second lead over Sesks.

12:21 p.m. – SS11: 💬 Thierry Neuville: « "It's a great stage, we're having fun, but I'm still battling understeer. I have the same feeling as on the previous stages."

12:20 – SS11: Two tenths of a second behind at the finish for Thierry Neuville, Sesks holds on!

12:18 p.m. – SS11: 💬 Jon Armstrong: « It's incredibly close between everyone, the special stage is absolutely insane, so fast, it's a real pleasure to be able to ride these machines in these conditions.

12:17 – SS11: Jon Armstrong arrives, finishing 1,7 seconds behind.

12:15 – SS11: 💬 Josh McErlean: "It's really a special stage where you need courage; in the first few corners you brake and then wonder why for the rest of the race!"

12:14 – SS11: Josh McErlean finishes three seconds behind Sesks.

12:13 p.m. – SS11: 💬 Martins Sesks: "It was a stage with more snow, I think, so I could have gone faster at the beginning of the stage. The end of the stage was quite slippery." He added, so there will probably be a bit of a sweep compared to the following ones.

12:12 p.m. – SS11: 💬 Lorenzo Bertelli: "I'm starting to find my rhythm, I'm getting used to it more and more because I struggled in the first special stage. But I have to say, now I'm having fun!"

12:12 – SS11: Bertelli finishes without incident, which remains the Italian's objective for this Rally Sweden. He concedes 16,9 seconds to the No. 22 Puma.

12:08 – SS11: 8:34.3 for Martins Sesks, a time to keep an eye on, since the Latvian managed to achieve the fastest time on the previous special stage while starting first!

12:06 – SS11: Bertelli and McErlean are also on the eleventh special stage of this Swedish Rally.

12:03 – SS11: The start of the special stage is quite winding, but it should pick up speed afterwards. In any case, the drivers can't rely on their experience, since the stage is run in the opposite direction compared to last year.

12pm – ES11: 🟢 And as expected, Martins Sesks is off in the eleventh special stage, the 16,94km Kolksele, which is the longest special stage of the day.

11h52 - The first car will enter SS11 in just seven minutes, everything is happening very quickly today!

11h52 - The provisional overall standings:

11h51 - The provisional standings for the tenth special stage:

11:45 p.m. – SS10: 💬 Takamoto Katsuta: « I don't know what's going on, I have absolutely no grip, just like on the previous stage. I'm driving the same way I did yesterday, it's really strange, I don't understand why this is happening. I haven't changed anything on the car, just the tires!

11:44 – SS10: Takamoto Katsuta finishes the special stage 6,8 seconds behind, and the overall win therefore goes to Martins Sesks!

11:41 p.m. – SS10: 💬 Elfyn Evans: “I couldn’t find a good rhythm, I couldn’t get my balance right, so I’m not surprised to be second in the stage. I was very good in this stage last year and it was nothing like this!”

11:40 – SS10: Elfyn Evans crosses the finish line of the special stage… and he also fails to overtake Martins Sesks! Nine tenths of a second behind the Latvian.

11:39 p.m. – SS10: 💬 Sami Pajari: "Nothing particularly special happened, but when you're a bit wide on this stage you lose a lot of time on the long straights. I tried to attack in certain places and it didn't really work."

11:38 – SS10: Sami Pajari finishes 5,2 seconds behind Sesks. He concedes 3,4 seconds to his teammate Solberg, who closes the gap to 25,3 seconds overall.

11:35 p.m. – SS10: 💬 Esapekka Lappi: « "It's a really great stage, the conditions are good, the sun is shining, we couldn't ask for better weather. The suspension change we made can help, but it still needs adjusting because it's not completely right for me."

11:35 – SS10: Esapekka Lappi finishes six seconds off the best time, he is still the best of the Korean team's representatives overall, but he now only has a 4,4 second lead over Fourmaux.

11:32 – SS10: 💬 Adrien Fourmaux: “It’s a superb stage, but we’re always going flat out, so the gaps are a bit closer! The conditions are the same as last year, but this time we’re floating a lot, we can’t seem to get any grip on the ice. For me, it’s clear we have a problem with the shock absorbers, and we won’t be able to fix it by the end of the weekend; we’ll have to work on it for the rest of the season.”

11:32 – SS10: Adrien Fourmaux finishes 5,3 seconds behind Martins Sesks, could the Ford driver go for the scratch time?

11:29 p.m. – SS10: 💬 Oliver Solberg: "There's starting to be quite a bit of snow everywhere! The feeling with the tires isn't great, but it's okay. I'll try to hold onto fourth place by the end of the day, and the goal is to be there when something happens to the leaders, not if something happens to them."

11:29 – SS10: Oliver Solberg finishes… and Sesks is still in front! 1,8 seconds behind at the finish for the Swede.

11:26 p.m. – SS10: 💬 Thierry Neuville: "These are good conditions, that's for sure. The grip is more consistent throughout the entire stage, there's a good ice base, not too much snow on the stage, so overall it's pretty good."

11:26 – SS10: Martins Sesks retains the best time on the special stage after Thierry Neuville's run, who concedes 4,4 seconds.

11:23 p.m. – SS10: 💬 Jon Armstrong: "It wasn't bad, but I'm finding it harder today than yesterday, that's for sure. It's tricky to find the right balance and take the corners with the right attitude. We'll see if we can improve today. We were forced to make a change to the setup, so we have to adapt." The Irishman is probably referring to changes in tire pressures for the Puma Rally1, which suffered several punctures yesterday.

11:23 – SS10: Jon Armstrong finished 5,3 seconds behind.

11:20 p.m. – SS10: 💬 Josh McErlean: "You have to be brave, that's for sure! It's a superb special stage, but I lack a bit of confidence in the fast sections."

11:19 – SS10: Josh McErlean finishes, conceding exactly five seconds at the finish to Sesks.

11:17 p.m. – SS10: 💬 Lorenzo Bertelli: “I missed a few braking points, but I had much more fun than on the previous stage. I think I made some small errors in my notes, getting the braking points wrong, but for the first rally of the year, it’s normal to make those small mistakes.”

11:17 – SS10: Lorenzo Bertelli lost 20,5 seconds to Sesks in this SS10, a gap similar to the one he had suffered in the first special stage of the morning.

11:15 p.m. – SS10: 💬 Martins Sesks: « There was a long straight stretch, under the sun, all ice, and I thought it was really cool! I'm getting back into the rhythm after missing almost all of yesterday.

11:14 – SS10: Martins Sesks finished in 7:56.5, which demonstrates the much higher average speed in this special stage, as the times are about a minute faster than on SS9, even though there is an extra kilometer!

11:11 – SS10: Lorenzo Bertelli is also in the special stage, the Italian is becoming a regular at the Rally Sweden, this is the third year in a row that he has participated in Rally1.

11:05 p.m. – SS10: 🟢 Martins Sesks is off to open this tenth special stage, with 16,72km in Sarsjöliden, a stage that is longer than in recent years, with long straights and very fast sections.

10h55 - The new overall standings after the ninth special stage, the tenth starts in just ten minutes, the first three special stages of the day follow one another!

10h51 - The standings for this special stage after the Rally1 cars have passed:

10:50 p.m. – SS9: 💬 Takamoto Katsuta: "I had no grip, no traction, it's very different compared to yesterday, and I have no idea why, it's strange. I'll have to do something before the next stage, because we're far from where we need to be."

10:49 – SS9: Takamoto Katsuta concedes 7,2 seconds, thus falling to second place overall, 4,4 seconds behind Evans.

10:47 p.m. – SS9: 💬 Elfyn Evans: "It was pretty good in several places, but not great in others!"

10:46 – SS9: Elfyn Evans set the fastest time at the finish, 4,8 seconds ahead of Oliver Solberg, and the Welshman should regain the rally lead based on the intermediate times against Takamoto Katsuta.

10:44 p.m. – SS9: 💬 Sami Pajari: "I hope the lap times are good! The conditions are really great, the car is fantastic to drive. I feel like I lost tenths here and there, I'm not entirely satisfied, but overall it's okay."

10:43 – SS9: Sami Pajari finishes just one tenth of a second behind Oliver Solberg! The gap between the two drivers is 28,7 seconds overall.

10:42 p.m. – SS9: 💬 Esapekka Lappi: « It was very difficult, but I'm going to try to make sure we improve. We've already changed quite a few things on the suspension, but confidence is even lower than yesterday.

10:40 – SS9: Esapekka Lappi finished 6,8 seconds behind Oliver Solberg, the Swede also overtook the Finn in the overall standings, there are now four Toyotas in the top four places!

10:39 p.m. – SS9: 💬 Adrien Fourmaux: « It's a really nice stage, but we're just too slow, it's disappointing. I think I'm driving as fast as I can, but the car isn't responding.

10:37 – SS9: Adrien Fourmaux finishes, conceding 7,5 seconds to Solberg, who therefore takes fifth place in the general classification.

10:35 p.m. – SS9: 💬 Oliver Solberg: "There was quite a bit of snow, the stage was rather tricky but pretty fun. I'm trying to enjoy myself, but it'll be much faster behind me!"

10:34 – SS9: The comeback mission begins for Oliver Solberg, the Swede takes the lead with a six-second advantage over Thierry Neuville in this special stage.

10:32 p.m. – SS9: 💬 Thierry Neuville: "The plan is to drive fast and have fun! I just want to enjoy myself, the stages are great, the conditions are perfect for a winter rally, I just want to have fun."

10:31 – SS9: Faster at the start of the special stage, Thierry Neuville lost time in the middle of the section, before finally regaining the lead with a 1,9 second advantage over Sesks at the finish.

10:30 – SS9: 💬 Jon Armstrong: "It wasn't too bad, a bit difficult to find the right rhythm. The stage is more slippery than yesterday's, so you have to find the right balance on the car. The weather wasn't great, but we'll have to see if we can improve on these slightly tighter and more winding stages."

10:29 – SS9: Jon Armstrong finishes, and he's also behind Martins Sesks, 6,7 seconds behind at the finish! The Latvian had a great special stage opening the way.

10:26 p.m. – SS9: 💬 Josh McErlean: It's always great to be in Sweden! The special stage is already a bit rough, and there are still some pretty slippery sections. The tracks are everywhere; I don't know who went and kissed the snowbanks!

10:26 – SS9: Josh McErlean finishes 5,6 seconds behind Sesks.

10:24 – SS9: 💬 Lorenzo Bertelli: « I had quite a bit of trouble with the grip; I'm not used to these conditions, but I tried to make the most of it. It was slippery, but I think that also comes down to my position on the track; I expect there will be a lot of sweeping.

10:22 – SS9: Unsurprisingly, Lorenzo Bertelli finished some time behind Martins Sesks, 24,3 seconds behind the Latvian.

10:20 p.m. – SS9: 💬 Martins Sesks: "We haven't done much driving so far in this rally, so it was a bit like a second shakedown! The line was fairly clean, but there was also quite a bit of snow because of the snowplows; it wasn't easy."

10:19 – SS9: 8:53.4 for Sesks, first at the finish of this ninth special stage of the rally.

10:14 – SS9: While Lorenzo Bertelli set off with his Toyota, it is worth noting that all the Rally1 competitors started with only one spare wheel except for the Fords who have two.

10:12 – SS9: The Latvian driver might have less trouble opening the stage, as the special stages were thoroughly cleaned before the Rally1 cars passed through. We'll return to the same stage at 15:10 PM.

10:10 – SS9: 🟢 Martins Sesks is the first to start the Vännäs special stage, which will be run twice today, with its 15,7km timed section.

10:05 p.m. – 👋 Hello everyone and welcome to AUTOhebdo.fr for live coverage of day three of the Rally Sweden WRC !