Tänak's teammate at Hyundai, Esapekka Lappi, won the event – round two of the 2024 season – while Elfyn Evans (Wales, Toyota) came second and Frenchman Adrien Formaux of M-Sport Ford rounded off the podium finishers.

This was Lappi's second WRC victory of his career so far. The 33-year-old last won in 2017, before a home crowd in Finland.

A total of nine top-tier WRC1 cars raced, including one Toyota Yaris piloted by reigning and two-time world champion Kalle Rovanperä of Finland, making his debut for 2024 after sitting out Monte Carlo.

Two Estonians started in the WRC2 category, Georg Linnamäe for Toyota, with his British co-driver James Morgan, along with Gregor Jeets and co-driver Timo Taniel for Škoda; another pair of Estonians, Romet Jürgenson and Siim Oja entered the WRC3 category for Ford.

The race, the first winter round of the 2024 season, brought 18 stages across the four days, starting Thursday evening.

However, coming to grief in deep snow on the Friday (see below) meant Tänak having to pull out, only returning for the power stage on the Sunday, where he finished fourth.

#RallySweden @OttTanak Crash SS4 pic.twitter.com/pGDkZ4waNR

— Valmar Viisel (@paddocknews) February 16, 2024

Lappi was dominant from the outset and had things fairly wrapped up by the Saturday, when he won three out of seven stages.

Ultimately Tänak took six points from the race.

Linnamäe also won his first ever race stage in Sweden in the WRC and his first poducm finish in the WRC2 category, and placed seventh overall. Norwegian-Swedish driver Oliver Solberg won the WRC2 overall.

While he did win the race, under the new scoring system unveiled for 2024, Elfyn Evans took the most points from the weekend (24).

After two rounds, Neuville leads the table with 48 points, three ahead of Evans. Tänak lies in fifth place on 21 points.

The next WRC race is Rally Kenya, which takes place in late March.

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