The Umeå-based event will follow a refreshed itinerary

Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team ventures to snow-covered Scandinavia for round two of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Sweden, with its sights set on a strong team result.

Just three weeks after the 2025 WRC season got underway at Rallye Monte-Carlo, rallying action returns to the scene of some of Hyundai Motorsport’s most special moments. Only last year, Esapekka Lappi secured his second-ever WRC win at the event, and in 2023 the team celebrated two emotional stage wins by the late Craig Breen across the fan-favourite Brattby test.

The 2025 edition will include three stages never before seen at Rally Sweden: Andersvattnet (SS3/6, 20.51km), Bäck (SS4/7, 10.80km) and Kolksele (SS11/14, 16.06km). With these complete unknowns, crews must place extra importance on stage recce to ensure they can make the most out of their runs.

Across four days of action, crews will face over 300 kilometres of treacherous terrain in freezing temperatures. Snowbanks and icy passes are ready to punish any mistakes made by the challenging crews, meaning the right lines and accurate pace notes are vital to a strong result.

The event will also see the arrival of the redeveloped Hyundai i20 N Rally1. The updated car will retain the current Rally1 chassis but features an overhaul in other areas to maximise efficiency. With a focus on suspension layout and weight reduction, the team has utilised several 2025 jokers in a bid to improve performance across the remainder of the season.

In preparation for Sweden’s unique trials all three Hyundai Motorsport crews participated in pre-event testing at the team’s Finnish base. Although Hankook’s Sweden-specific tyres were used at this test, the rally will see the only full weekend of contention on the studded gravel tyres.

An impressive performance from Adrien Fourmaux at this event last year saw the Frenchman bring home the first WRC podium of his career. However, after claiming third in his Hyundai Motorsport debut at Rallye Monte-Carlo, a challenging road position awaits him in Sweden. A clean weekend will be crucial as Fourmaux aims for another strong points haul. Team-mates Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak have three wins and nine podiums between them at the Nordic event, emphasising the strength of the team’s driver line-up. Their respective experience will allow them to push across the unforgiving stages in pursuit of top-three finishes.

With a 24-point gap to the top of the manufacturers’ championship, all three Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team crews will be looking to secure as many points as possible for the team’s efforts, while also chasing individual glory.

Hyundai Motorsport President and Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said:

“After a generally positive weekend in Monte-Carlo, we’re now looking to take a step forward by claiming a strong result at Rally Sweden. Thierry and Ott are both former winners, so they will be looking to get their campaigns back on track after various challenges left them outside the podium positions in Monte-Carlo. And we hope Adrien can keep the positive momentum from Monte-Carlo and continue his progression. We have some data on the new Hankook tyres from round one, but with the unique studded ice tyre being the only option available in Sweden, there will still be plenty for us to discover in the challenging conditions. Our target is to claim a solid result for our three crews, which is key as they go up against expanded entries from both Toyota and M-Sport.”

Crew Notes: Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (#16 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)

• Strong Hyundai Motorsport debut gives French duo a solid foundation for round two
• Duo looking to claim second Rally Sweden podium following 2024 success

Fourmaux said: “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.”

Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)

• Estonian pair targeting second Rally Sweden victory
• Crew determined to improve on fifth-place result at Rallye Monte-Carlo

Tänak said: “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.”

Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#1 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)

• 2024 champions aiming to bounce back after tricky season opener
• Neuville has claimed five podiums at Swedish event, including a win in 2018

Neuville said: “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.”

Weekend at a Glance

• One run of Umeå Sprint (SS1/8, 5.16km) on Thursday evening opens competition with 5.16km of rallying action in the infamous Red Barn Arena
• Friday presents the longest day of the event, with seven snowy stages covering 124.32km of Swedish countryside
• 101.96km are covered by a further seven stages on the penultimate day of Rally Sweden, including the weekend’s first loop of Umeå (SS15/18, 10.08km)
• Three stages totalling 68.78km bring the weekend to a close, with a second loop of Umeå assuming the role of the Power Stage.