P1racenews AI automatic summary:
It was a short 5.16km stage that got the second round of the FIA World Rally Championship underway in Sweden
Starting seventh on the road was an advantage over early championship leader Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe in their Hyundai Shell Mobis i20 N, as the Belgian Monte winner acted as a snow plough for those behind. Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston held second, with Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin in third, giving Toyota an early one-two-three. Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja were fourth, just one tenth of a second behind Evans. Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria equaled Tänak’s time in their M-Sport Ford Puma, an impressive feat considering Fourmaux’s limited snow experience. Neuville’s first-on-the-road position caused him to lose 2.3 seconds, finishing sixth, while Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm came in a surprising seventh with the best conditions among Rally1 runners. Grégoire Munster/Louis Louka were eighth in the second Puma Rally 1, only 0.4 seconds ahead of the leading WRC2 team. Oliver Solberg/Elliot Edmonson set a rapid pace in their Skoda Fabia RS, leading WRC2, followed by Roope Korhonen/Anssi Viinikka (Toyota Yaris WRC2) and Sami Pajari/Enni Mälkönen in their Yaris. Friday’s stages totaled 108km of racing.
