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Evans Wins Rally Sweden With Toyota 1-2-3-4 Sweep, Moves Into WRC Lead

Hyundai’s snow pace problems, punctuated by Thierry Neuville’s chinstrap penalty, leave the team searching for answers ahead of Kenya’s gravel Safari.

Overview

  • Elfyn Evans beat Takamoto Katsuta by 14.3 seconds and collected maximum Sunday and Powerstage points to total 34, taking the championship lead.
  • Toyota locked out the top four with Sami Pajari third and Monte Carlo winner Oliver Solberg fourth, underscoring the marque’s early‑season dominance.
  • Katsuta, who led early on Friday, reported fluctuating grip and confidence through Saturday before consolidating second place on the final leg.
  • Hyundai trailed throughout despite extensive damper, spring and balance experiments; Adrien Fourmaux finished fifth, Esapekka Lappi sixth and Neuville seventh after a one‑minute penalty and €1,500 fine for an unfastened helmet chinstrap, though Neuville won the Powerstage.
  • M‑Sport Ford’s Friday tyre‑pressure errors led to multiple punctures as Jon Armstrong and Josh McErlean placed eighth and ninth, while Roope Korhonen won WRC2 and finished tenth overall; the Safari Rally in Kenya runs March 12–15.