After showing promise early on at the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally, Tänak came fifth overall for Hyundai – meaning victory in the principality still eludes him and his Estonian co-driver Martin Järveoja.

"Monte Carlo offered a lot of surprises this year, and with the changing conditions, it was difficult to adapt to the new tires," Tänak said via a Hyundai press release.

"The same will be the case in Sweden, but without the tire strategy concerns, we can fully focus on maximizing speed. The starting position plays a role in Sweden, especially on the second pass of some stages, but beyond that, the most important factors remain speed and performance."

"We had a test day in December, and another one after Monte Carlo, and, so far, everything has been positive," the Estonian went on. "There will be some major challenges ahead, but we are motivated going into the weekend and hope to achieve a strong result."

Rally Sweden starts on Thursday with the initial shakedown run and goes through to Sunday, February 16, with 18 stages in all across a little over 300 kilometers.

It takes place around Umeå, Västerbotten County, in the northeast of the country, having moved there in 2021 from Värmland in west-central Sweden – mainly to give a greater likelihood of snow given a set number of races must, under WRC rules, take place in various climactic zones.

Tänak has won in Sweden twice – first in 2019 with Toyota, in his so far sole world championship winning season, and again in 2023, with M-Sport Ford, a much smaller team than Toyota or Hyundai.

The Estonian was in with a shot at winning his second title last season, but was bested by his Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville (Belgium), who finally bagged his maiden drivers' championship after many seasons of trying.

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