Rally Sweden 2025 Preview

Yesterday at 03:27 PM

It's already round two of this years championship. The teams head north to Sweden and the snow-covered roads around Umea. Coming to the rally, with their teammates Seb and Vincent not competing, Elfyn and Scott are the effective championship leaders and will open the road throughout Friday's stages.

This year there are 300km's over 18 stages. Friday sees the second longest stage run of the whole weekend at 28km's and with being run twice also means that this is the longest day as well at almost 130km's.

Saturday sees 102km's over seven stages. These are shorter stages throughout the second full day of action.

Sunday sees just three stages with a total of nearly 69km's. However, one stage is 29km's and is run twice before the short 10km powerstage.

Let's hear from the drivers.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans

"Our podium in Monte Carlo was a solid start to the year and we're looking forward to the next challenge in Sweden. It's an event that's always a lot of fun to drive with the stages being as fast as they are. Opening the road could make for a difficult start to the weekend if there's a lot of fresh snow like last year. On the other hand, if it's icy, it could play into our hands; we'll be giving it our all regardless. There's a lot of learning to do at the start of the year about the new Hankook tyres and for Sweden it's no different. So far the feeling is quite different to before and we have to try and adapt to that and get the most out of it."

Kalle Rovanperä

"It was not the easiest start to the season for us at Rallye Monte-Carlo, but we ended the weekend with some good points and now we want to try and have a strong performance in Sweden. Driving on snow is always a lot of fun and doing the Arctic Rally along with our pre-event test has been also really important to get some good kilometres on this surface with the new tyre and to get a feeling for it. We've been working hard with the team to find the best setup and the right direction for us to take, and so far the feeling has been pretty good. We'll have to see what the conditions will be like but hopefully it can be a good rally for us."

Takamoto Katsuta

"Rally Sweden is one of my favourite rallies and I will try to do my best there for the team. It's going to be a big challenge with the new tyre for this event, which means that the feeling in the car will probably be a bit different to previously on this surface, but I will try to adapt to this. A lot can depend on the conditions we face. If there is a lot of snow like last year, then our road position could be good, but if the surface is just pure ice it could be more difficult for us. Naturally I'm hoping for plenty of snow, but I will do my best either way."

Sami Pajari

"I'm really looking forward to Rally Sweden. It's one of my favourite events in the whole WRC season. It's a completely different event compared to Rallye Monte-Carlo: the conditions are usually more stable, and the tyre choice is a lot simpler with just one type of tyre available. In that sense, the approach can be more straightforward. Perhaps some people are hoping that I can fight for a top result there, but for me it's very much still a learning event, because it's my first winter rally in Rally1. So I'm not setting such high expectations: I just hope that we can enjoy the rally and have a good solid event."

Hyundai Motorsport

Adrien Fourmaux

"Finishing on the podium at Rallye Monte-Carlo was great for both us and the team. Ending a notoriously challenging event like that is great for our motivation. When we left Monte, we knew we had a tough challenge coming in Sweden – and when you do well in round one, you have a tricker road position at round two. We did two days of testing on snow in December, and then another test in January, so we have had some experience with the car on snow and feel confident going to the event. We want to push and do our best to replicate our podium finish from last year, but we know it's a big challenge being second on the road. We need to score as many points as possible at this rally, and we'll see where we end up."

Ott Tänak

"Monte was full of surprises this year and we struggled to adapt immediately to the new tyres in the changing conditions. This will still be a challenge in Sweden, but with no tyre choice we just need to focus on maximising our performance as quickly as possible. Road position plays a key role in Sweden, especially on the second loop of some stages, but aside from that, speed and performance are still the most important factors. We had a test day in December and another one after Monte-Carlo and so far it's all been positive. There will be some big challenges, but we are feeling motivated ahead of the weekend – we are hoping to push for a strong result."

Thierry Neuville

"Rally Sweden is a unique event that demands a lot from us as crews and the car. We need a good setup so we can feel as comfortable as possible – reactivity, precision and traction are crucial to finding success in Sweden. There is still more to test with the new tyres: learning how long the studs last and how much camber you can run are all things we still need to learn. The new stages this year also add to these challenges; with new pace notes and only two passes to learn them, it always makes it tougher. We want to take good points home from the event, and we are determined to be fighting for a podium finish. More important to us than winning is a clean points haul for the championship, and we want to maximise this on Sunday."

M-Sport Ford WRT

Grégoire Munster

"I'm looking forward to driving on snow and ice again, it's something that we're not so used to and don't do so often. Being able to do it with the Puma is really cool too. `We had the pre-event test earlier this week, where we learned a bit about how to work with the new tyres, and I think that's going to be an interesting factor on this event.

"We are going to have a good starting position, after our result in Monte, so we will try to benefit from that on Friday and hopefully we will enjoy some good snow conditions. We had good pace in Monte-Carlo, and although this is a completely different surface, we hope to carry some of that momentum into Sweden."

Josh McErlean

"Really excited for Rally Sweden! This event is always incredible, it’s such a special event with the unique challenge of competing on snow and ice. The grip these cars can generate with the studded tyres is something else. We learned a lot in Monte Carlo, and now the focus is on building momentum, taking another step, and building speed. I can't wait to get back in the car and experience the thrill of flying through the forests at full speed."

Mārtiņš Sesks

"I’m excited to be back in Rally1 with M-Sport and I'm grateful to have the opportunity to do half of the season this year with them, which gives us more chance to show our pace and maturity in the car.

"This will be our first rally of the season, and our first snow rally in the Rally1 car. It will be a good experience with a good learning curve for sure! Because we're only doing half the season, we have less pressure on us long-term and we can just see rally by rally how we feel and how our pace is going to look. I'm excited to be driving on snow, I really enjoy driving in these conditions, using the snowbanks around the roads. It should be a fun weekend and I'm really looking forward to it."

Jourdan Serderidis

"Rally Sweden is our first appearance in the WRC in 2025 and we are excited to drift on snow again! While Sweden is not where we have the most experience, we believe that this event should help us to tackle higher objectives in Kenya in March. I can't wait to be back in the Puma together with our team-mates in Umeå."

Romet Jürgenson

"It's going to be a big step up in Sweden for both me and Siim, but we are ready for the challenge! WRC2 at the moment is a different league and it will definitely take some time to be able to establish ourselves. I will take my time and try to prove my worth once we are settled in properly. We have an exciting year ahead of us and can't wait to get started!"

Oliver Solberg

"Last year was so close, it really hurt that we were within touching distance and not able to clinch it. That frustration from last season is only serving as a greater motivation for this year.

"Elliott [Edmondson, co-driver] and me are so determined to finish the job this year and that work starts next week."

"I really feel at home in the snow," said Oliver. "And Sweden is definitely one of the highlights, one of the favourites for the season. Like you can imagine, it's a special feeling to compete at home in front of so many friends and family – and the fans are just amazing as well. But it's the roads which make this one really special.

"I'm competing in the GR Yaris Rally2 for the first time in the full snow conditions, so this is something new. We will have completed our pre-event testing and, of course, we drove the Monte Carlo Rally last month. I was immediately impressed with the Yaris – it's quite a different car from what I've driven before: more nimble and, with the three-cylinder engine, the delivery of power and torque is a little different. I love it.

"The priority is points next week and there's no better way to score big points than to win WRC2 – so that's what we're aiming for."

Summary

Well, here we go with a classic rally. The speed which the crews tackle the snow and ice roads. Road position will be key in this rally throughout Friday. It will be hard for Elfyn to finish on the podium but let's wait and see.