Thierry Neuville led Martins Sesks in Rally Sweden shakedown as teams and drivers converged in the snowy landscapes of Sweden for the second round of the 2025 WRC.
The shakedown held on Thursday morning provided a glimpse into the potential performances and strategies that teams might employ throughout the rally.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville emerged as the fastest driver in Rally Sweden shakedown, underscoring the anticipation surrounding Hyundai’s updated i20 N and setting high expectations for the weekend.
Neuville’s performance was particularly notable as he clocked a time significantly faster than his rivals. His fastest run was a full 1.4 seconds ahead of M-Sport’s Martins Sesks, who is participating in a limited program with the Ford Puma Rally1.
Neuville’s teammate, Ott Tanak, also demonstrated a strong start, securing the third-fastest time, just 0.2 seconds behind Sesks, despite completing only two runs.
The promising beginning for the Hyundai team highlights the effectiveness of the updated i20 N, which is making its debut at the event and is expected to enhance high-speed performance.
Despite the positive outcome, Neuville tempered expectations, noting that the conditions of the city-based Rally Sweden shakedown stage might not accurately reflect the rally stages. He pointed out that temperatures were slightly higher near the river, which made the ice base less firm.
“It’s not so representative for what will be the rally we like,” Neuville told Dirtfish. “But it’s good to get at least the feeling a bit again with the car and the tires. The grip was much higher than expected, to be honest. Not sure it will be like this in the stages, but we’re going to find out.”
Martins Sesks driving the Ford Puma Rally1 also approached the event with caution. Acknowledging his limited experience on this course having only competed twice before and never in a four-wheel-drive vehicle, the Latvian driver highlighted a ‘step-by-step’ approach to managing expectations.
Ott Tanak echoed similar sentiments about the updated Hyundai i20 N, expressing hope that the updates would prove beneficial. His focus remains on maximizing speed and performance, as he aims for a strong result in Sweden.
“We need to hope it [the update] works,” he said, adding, “Obviously the ice is breaking up quite quickly [here] but it’s still a lot of fun.”
Elfyn Evans, driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, was the fastest among the Toyota drivers trailing Neuville by 2.2 seconds. As the current de facto championship leader in the absence of Monte Carlo winner Sébastien Ogier, Evans is aware of the challenges of running first on the road.
He anticipates that the ice base might mitigate some of the disadvantages typically associated with leading the pack.
“Let’s see how that goes,” Evans commented. “Obviously we know what it means historically but maybe this year the conditions favor us a bit. It’s a bit more of an ice base so the penalty of running first should be less but of course we have to wait and see how it plays out.”
Adrien Fourmaux, also driving for Hyundai, matched Evans’s time reflecting positively on his past experiences at Rally Sweden where he secured his first podium in the Rally1 class last year.
“It was really great memories from last year, my first podium in the Rally1 class,” he said. “Now I’m with a different team but really enjoying this rally and it’s always such a special feeling to drive on snow. So I want to do the same, for sure.”
Two-time world champion Kalle Rovanpera finished sixth in Rally Sweden shakedown with his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 coming in just 0.6 seconds behind Evans. Rovanpera expressed his confidence for the rally, anticipating favorable conditions on the stages.
“Normally it’s a really cool rally,” he stated. “This year the conditions on the stages looks really nice so I’m sure we are going to enjoy it a lot.”
M-Sport’s Josh McErlean closely followed Rovanpera in seventh, demonstrating significant improvement over his four runs. His performance was notably quicker than his more experienced teammate Grégoire Munster who finished tenth.
Sandwiched between McErlean and Munster were Toyota drivers Sami Pajari and Takamoto Katsuta. Despite being slightly off the pace, both drivers are known for their expertise on snow and expressed eagerness for the rally to commence.
Pajari highlighted the unique aspects of Rally Sweden noting the emphasis on pure performance and the ability to fully utilize the cars without excessive caution for tire or car preservation.
“It’s something that I’m quite used to, like back in the days in Finland in national championships,” said Pajari. “And of course, it’s a rally where it’s all about the pure performance and not taking care of the tires, or the car normally too much.
“So basically you can just enjoy these cars properly what they can do, so it’s just a really cool feeling.”
The Rally2 field also saw intense competition during Rally Sweden shakedown, with local drivers Pontus Tidemand (Škoda) and Oliver Solberg (Toyota) initially leading. However, Romet Jürgenson (Ford Fiesta) disrupted their dominance, positioning himself between the duo.
Rally Sweden’s route for 2025 WRC includes several changes such as the 3.44-kilometer Strandpromenaden Shakedown stage in central Umeå, along with the Andersvattnet and Bäck stages on Friday, and Kolksele on Saturday.
The event spans from February 13-16, featuring 18 stages covering a total distance of 300.22 kilometers. The rally starts with the Umeå Sprint stage on Thursday evening and continues with repeated stages on Friday, including the 28.27-kilometer Bygdsiljum test.
Saturday includes the Kolksele, Sarsjöliden, and Vännäs stages, plus a rehearsal of the Umeå Power Stage. The final leg on Sunday mirrors the 2024 setup, featuring two runs through the Västervik test, followed by the Umeå Power Stage.
