2024 FIA World Rally Championship
Round 02, Rally Sweden
15-18 February 2024
Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm successfully piloted their Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid to victory in Rally Sweden’s seven Saturday stages. They finished with a comfortable 66-second lead over Adrien Fourmaux and Alex Coria’s M-Sport Ford Puma, who held off Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin’s Toyota Gazoo Racing Yaris in a tense battle for the podium.
The highly anticipated showdown between Lappi and Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta came to an abrupt end when Katsuta got stuck in a snowbank just 3.4km into the tenth stage. Katsuta was trying to close the 0.9-second gap to Lappi but ended up burying his Yaris in the snow. Disappointed, Katsuta explained that he carried too much speed into a corner and couldn’t recover.
With a lead of 1:31.6, Lappi decided to play it safe and backed off in the next five stages. This allowed Fourmaux to make up some time and put in an impressive performance. Lappi acknowledged that it was mentally challenging to hold back but emphasized the importance of avoiding any mishaps.
Fourmaux showcased his skills by setting the fastest time in stage 11 and successfully fending off Evans’ attempts to overtake him throughout the day. In the final stage, Fourmaux narrowly avoided getting stuck in a snowbank, unlike his teammate Grégoire Munster who lost 15 minutes trying to free his car.
Evans finished in third place, 59 seconds ahead of Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe in the Hyundai i20 N. Neuville had started the day in 11th position due to a time penalty but managed to climb up to fourth overall after winning three stages.
Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Hälttunen, as well as Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja, had a more challenging day, finishing in 21st and 22nd places respectively. Their primary goal was to bring their cars home undamaged in preparation for the crucial “super Sunday” where valuable points are up for grabs.
In the WRC2 category, Oliver Solberg and Elliot Edmonson led the way, followed by Sami Pajari and Enni Mälkönen in their Toyota. Georg Linnamäe had a setback when he spun at the end of stage 11, dropping from second to fourth in the standings.
Mille Johannson currently leads Romet Jürgenson by 55 seconds in the Junior WRC.
The conditions in Rally Sweden were typical for the event, with good grip in the morning stages but deteriorating as the day progressed. The worn-out studs on the tires made it challenging for drivers to find traction, and many mentioned the importance of preserving their tires and managing grip levels.
The final day of the rally may only consist of three stages, but it covers a total of 61km. This is the distance that separates Lappi from his first WRC win in six years and his second career victory.
According to the Source motorsportweek.com