The World Rally Championship’s only winter rally is upon us, and predicting which of the nine Rally1 runners will take the victory is as tough as ever.
With four Rally Sweden winners in the field, and the competition among the WRC elite so closely matched, the majority of crews will be feeling confident ahead of this weekend’s action.
But in Sweden, confidence is never enough. The weather always plays a factor, and fresh snow throughout the weekend is set to help those towards the rear of the running order and hinder those who have the honor of opening the road.
Plus the drivers face another potential curveball in the shape of tires, with stud retention and punctures playing a critical role in this rally 12 months ago.
Here’s a look at which crews have shown the best form ahead of this year’s Rally Sweden:
#11 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 1st-13th-1st
Best Sweden result: 1st (2018)
Championship leader Thierry Neuville is a man in form heading into Rally Sweden, after his superb display to win the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally.
He’s shown plenty of speed in Sweden over the years too, winning on the snow in 2018 and finishing on the podium in the past two rallies here aboard Hyundai’s Rally1 machine.
The Belgian will be first on the road starting this year’s event, and may well need to play the role of snowplow on Friday, with fresh snow forecast to fall throughout the day.
But in his current form, and with his i20 N running better than ever, don’t count Neuville out from contending for victory come the end of the rally.
#33 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 3rd-1st-31st
Best Sweden result: 1st (2020)
After his solid start to the season in Monte Carlo, Elfyn Evans heads to a rally on which his form has been mixed in recent times.
The Welshman took victory on Sweden’s snowless 2020 event, but struggled on the heavily rutted stages last year and only managed fifth place on an event where no Toyotas finished on the podium.
A trip to Lapland’s Arctic Rally two weeks ago didn’t bring Evans much confidence; he admitted he’s struggling with his GR Yaris Rally1 compared to team-mate Kalle Rovanperä. But a pre-event test since then may have given last year’s championship runner-up the feeling he needs to compete for the win in Sweden once again.
Ultimately, another podium and a solid haul of points would be a decent return from Sweden for Evans.
#8 Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 4th-6th-3rd
Best Sweden result: 1st (2023, 2019)
As last year’s rally winner and a three-time victor of the WRC’s winter round, Ott Tänak will be full of confidence heading into this event.
When the stages get fast, there are few more committed than the 2019 world champion, and he’s not known for making many mistakes either.
With a superior road position to team-mate Neuville, Tänak has the perfect opportunity to strike back immediately in the battle of the two Hyundai number ones, after suffering from technical issues with his i20 N in Monte Carlo.
If all is well with the car, expect Tänak to fight for the win in Sweden.
#16 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 5th-DNF-8th
Best Sweden result: 18th (4th in WRC2, 2020)
Adrien Fourmaux isn’t known as a snow and ice specialist, and only has one Rally Sweden start to his name in top-flight WRC machinery.
But that doesn’t mean he isn’t capable of springing a surprise this weekend. The Frenchman showed flashes of pace in Monte Carlo while driving within his limits, and that approach could serve him well in Sweden if others hit trouble and Fourmaux isn’t too far behind.
Plus, he’s got the equipment to get the job done, driving the same Ford Puma Rally1 for the M-Sport team that won the event last year.
A repeat of his Monte top-five finish would give Fourmaux yet more momentum in a year where he is looking to cement himself as a WRC regular.
#18 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 7th-5th-5th
Best Sweden result: 4th (2022)
Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta has shone on Swedish snow before, taking his first WRC2 win in the Karlstad-based 2018 event.
He also showed stage-winning speed on last year’s Rally Sweden before he rolled his GR Yaris on Friday.
The balance of pushing for top times while not making a mistake is something the Japanese driver is still seemingly yet to master, but performances such as the one he delivered on Rally Japan last year show that Katsuta is getting closer to being an outright contender in the WRC.
If he can consistently repeat the speed he showed early on last year’s event, then Katsuta could push for a podium in Sweden.
#13 Grégoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 20th-7th-13th
Best Sweden result (JWRC): 4th (2023)
Snow is the surface on which Grégoire Munster has the least experience.
He’s making only his second start in Sweden this week and the first in Rally1 machinery, where top speeds on the icy stages will exceed 120mph.
That’s a sensation that takes some getting used to, and experience is what Munster needs to take home from Rally Sweden this year.
Completing all the stage miles will be mission accomplished for the 25-year-old.
#69 Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 3rd-2nd-4th
Best Sweden result: 1st (2022)
The reigning world champion has entered the chat, and he’s about to make his first mark on the 2024 WRC.
With a favorable road position and nothing to lose on a rally which is one of his favorites, and kicked off his amazing winning run in 2022, Kalle Rovanperä is undoubtedly going to contend for the win in Sweden.
There is a slight question mark over the performance of the Toyota on the snow, with all of the squad’s driver’s struggling with the handling of their GR Yaris Rally1s 12 months ago.
But don’t expect Toyota to suffer the same problem twice, and watching Kalle Rovanperä at full tilt in the Swedish snow is going to be some spectacle.
#4 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 4th-DNF-DNF
Best Sweden result: 2nd (2019)
Finland’s Esapekka Lappi is another part-timer in the field this weekend, returning to the WRC after missing the season-opener in Monte Carlo.
And Lappi could hardly have picked a better rally to return on, having enjoyed plenty of speed and multiple podium finishes here during his career.
Those results will give him confidence, as will his strong road position which should give him a clean run on the Swedish stages.
Lappi could well be in the hunt for victory unless he’s asked to play a support role for his drivers’ title-contending team-mates.
#37 Lorenzo Bertelli/Simone Scattolin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 14th-7th-11th
Best Sweden result: 14th (2023)
The Italian privateer makes his second WRC start in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 in Sweden this weekend, renting a car from the works team.
But despite the fact he’ll have the same machinery at his disposal as his illustrious stablemates, Bertelli will have his sights set a little lower down the leaderboard.
Delivering pace which is comfortably ahead of the fastest Rally2 runners and finishing the rally will be a good showing.
