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Oliver Solberg seizes the lead at Rally Sweden, winning the opening stage on Thursday night. The World Rally Championship points leader and Monte Carlo winner dominates the 10.23km Umea super special stage, clocking in 3.8 seconds faster than Toyota’s Elfyn Evans.
Solberg, starting first, excels in the snowy conditions but admits the stage is tricky. Evans, feeling conservative, finishes ahead of Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari, who complete the top four.
Thierry Neuville is the fastest Hyundai in fifth, struggling with confidence, 6.7 seconds off Solberg’s pace. Neuville's teammate Adrien Fourmaux trails behind, while Esapekka Lappi, returning to the WRC, ranks seventh, 9.1 seconds behind.
The top 10 includes M-Sport-Ford’s Josh McErlean, Martins Sesks, and Lorenzo Bertelli. Jon Armstrong narrowly avoids disaster after hitting a snowbank, losing 45.1 seconds. Rally Sweden continues Friday with seven more stages ahead.
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