Elfyn Evans leads a Toyota 1-2 after Friday’s action at Rally Sweden, where the battle at the front is intense with the top 5 covered by just 9.1 seconds.
The FIA World Rally Championship’s only pure snow rally delivered a day of fluctuating fortunes, with multiple lead changes across the seven snow and ice-laden speed tests. Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 driver Evans set the early pace and led at midday service, but as conditions evolved, so did the leaderboard.
Takamoto Katsuta briefly hit the front on SS5 before Evans responded immediately to reclaim the top spot. Then, as darkness fell over the Bäck stage, Ott Tänak edged ahead – only to lose his advantage on the final Umeå Sprint test as worn tyres cost him valuable time. Evans seized the opportunity, clocking the fastest time to move back into the lead once more.
Katsuta makes it a Toyota 1-2 overnight
Katsuta’s strong pace kept him within just 0.6sec of his Toyota team-mate, while Tänak slipped to third, 2.5sec off the lead.
Adrien Fourmaux was one of the standout performers in the morning, winning two stages and running as high as second. His momentum slowed slightly in the afternoon, but the Frenchman still ended the day a strong fourth, just 5.8sec behind Hyundai i20 N Rally1 colleague Tänak. A stall on SS5 – at the same tricky corner that caught out Kalle Rovanperä and Josh McErlean – was his biggest setback.
Defending champion Thierry Neuville endured a frustrating start, struggling with understeer, but found his rhythm later in the day. A stage win helped him claw back some time, and he completed the leg 9.1sec down on Evans in fifth overall.
Two-time world champion Rovanperä had an uncharacteristically subdued day. Not helped by an overshoot on SS5, the Finn failed to break into the top three on any stage and trailed Neuville by 15.3sec at close of play.
Mārtiņš Sesks impressed on his return to M-Sport Ford’s Puma Rally1, posting a pair of top-three stage times on his way to seventh. Team-mate McErlean, in only his second Rally1 start, continued to build confidence and finished the day eighth.
Toyota’s Sami Pajari showed flashes of strong pace but was hampered by an early brush with a snowbank that dislodged a tyre from the rim and limited him to ninth. Grégoire Munster completed the top 10 in his Puma.
Saturday’s penultimate leg offers plenty of opportunity for more twists and includes seven high-speed stages covering 101.96km.
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WRC Rally Sweden 2025 – O/A Classification after SS8 (End of Friday)
| # | Drivers | Car | Time / Diff to 1st |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Evans / Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | 1:08:36.5 |
| 2. | Katsuta / Johnston | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +0.6 |
| 3. | Tänak / Järveoja | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +2.5 |
| 4. | Fourmaux / Coria | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +7.9 |
| 5. | Neuville / Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +9.1 |
| 6. | Rovanperä / Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +25.5 |
| 7. | Sesks / Francis | Ford Puma Rally1 | +43.6 |
| 8. | McErlean / Treacy | Ford Puma Rally1 | +1:02.6 |
| 9. | Pajari / Salminen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +1:10.6 |
| 10. | Munster / Louka | Ford Puma Rally1 | +1:22.5 |
Photos, content: Red Bull Content Pool
