Preview: Round 2 - Rally Sweden

Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team is back in the hunt for the podium positions at Rally Sweden (February 12-15), round two of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) calendar.

Crews will take on 300.66km of competitive distance across 18 stages on Swedish snow. The studded Hankook tyres give cars incredible grip on the icy roads, but pinpoint-accurate pace notes are key to navigating the forest passes of Umeå. Snowbanks can be both a friend and a foe, and there is the potential for plenty of surprises on the stages.
 
Hyundai Motorsport is looking to add to its podium tally of 11 at the 2026 edition of Rally Sweden, with two of the team’s three drivers – Thierry Neuville (2018) and Esapekka Lappi (2024) – having previously taken victory at the Nordic event.

Q+A with Hyundai Motorsport WRC Sporting Director Andrew Wheatley

What are the team’s goals for Rally Sweden?

“Sweden is an event where the team has been successful in the past. EP won in 2024, Thierry won in 2018, and both he and Adrien have been on the podium in recent years, but it is a difficult rally to win. The opportunity for success is very much linked to the weather and road conditions; if the conditions are very consistent with no new snowfall, then we have three drivers with the potential to be on the podium. However, if the conditions are more complex - for example, if warmer temperatures create larger variations in road surface condition, the  running order will have more influence and  we will have to be more flexible in our preparations for each day. I believe we have the capability to have three cars fighting for the podium, but as we saw in Monte-Carlo, starting later on the road can be an advantage in certain conditions or a challenge and Sweden could still provide a good opportunity.”

What are the team’s goals for Rally Sweden?

“Sweden is an event where the team has been successful in the past. EP won in 2024, Thierry won in 2018, and both he and Adrien have been on the podium in recent years, but it is a difficult rally to win. The opportunity for success is very much linked to the weather and road conditions; if the conditions are very consistent with no new snowfall, then we have three drivers with the potential to be on the podium. However, if the conditions are more complex - for example, if warmer temperatures create larger variations in road surface condition, the  running order will have more influence and  we will have to be more flexible in our preparations for each day. I believe we have the capability to have three cars fighting for the podium, but as we saw in Monte-Carlo, starting later on the road can be an advantage in certain conditions or a challenge and Sweden could still provide a good opportunity.”
 
What did you learn from the first event of the season that could help the team in Sweden?

“I think Monte-Carlo reinforced what we learned over the winter: we know that under consistent conditions we have a fast car. We know that our crews are very motivated to succeed, and we know that every member of our team has given 110% to prepare for this season, but we also know that our competitors are well prepared and when conditions are changeable, we still have work to do.  Monte-Carlo was extreme, it will be remembered for many years for the snowy conditions, but the evolution of the roads was the biggest factor for us. If the event was 24 hours earlier or later, it would have been much more in line with the testing that we did. However, despite all the challenges, we came away with points, a lot more information, and without any major incidents.”
 
What are your expectations for this event, and what do you think the team’s strengths and challenges will be?

“Sweden is another event where confidence is key. If the drivers can have a good test and the conditions are stable, we can hope that our road order is better than our competitors on day one, and then from there we can look to continue our momentum. The challenge is that if there is a lot of fresh snow, the later runners will benefit on that first day, but we have EP starting further back who will have done two winter rallies in preparation for Sweden. We hope that with this road order, we will have the opportunity to cover all the options.”

Views from the crew

Thierry Neuville said:

 Rally Sweden is generally a very consistent event, thanks to the snowy surface. As a team, we’ve always performed quite well there, and I won the event back in 2018. To replicate these results, we need a fast car and the right conditions. High snowbanks help us slow down on the roads, but also allow us to lean on them to avoid the ditches. For this to work, the car has to have an easy setup, good rotation, and has to work well with the studded tyres. If there’s fresh snow you need maximum protection, but on solid ice it’s all about a stiffer, more precise set-up. We’re going there targeting the win, but we know the challenge will be tough from Toyota. Last year we were in the fight for victory until the final day, so hopefully we can repeat that again this year.

 Adrien Fourmaux said:

Rally Sweden can be quite demanding – you need a lot of commitment across all of the stages. We need precision from our car so we can optimise our speed using the snowbanks without getting trapped in them. In recent years, it’s been more frozen with little fresh snow, so there should be fewer snowbanks, and I also expect grip will probably be worse than last year. You need a very well-balanced car that inspires confidence and commitment in every corner. Unlike Monte-Carlo, this is a pure performance rally all weekend, where it is important to take into account the weather conditions when setting up the car. We have a strong road position for this event, so the aim is to go all out for the win and close the gap in the manufacturers’ championship.

Esapekka Lappi said:

 I thought my WRC career was over, so I'm very surprised and excited to drive at the top level again with Hyundai Motorsport. My results in some of my most recent WRC events haven't been very successful, so I'm aiming to change that this year and show commitment under every condition that I face. In 2024, the conditions on Friday night were very challenging, with heavy snowfall at night making visibility very limited, but we handled it well. Being Finnish, it's not the most challenging rally for me, but the high speeds and lack of grip make it tricky. We will benefit if there is fresh snow, as the tyre lines of the cars in front will clear it, whereas if it is icy, it might get slower for the cars behind. We've carried out two winter events with a Rally2 car in Finland and a test day with the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 car on snow. Rally Sweden is Enni’s fourth outing in Rally1, our first together in a top-tier manufacturer entry, which makes this opportunity really special for both of us.