Elfyn Evans Wins Rally Sweden to Take Championship Lead

Elfyn Evans secured his 10th world championship win at Rally Sweden, taking the lead in the World Rally Championship standings with a dominant performance.

Toyota's Elfyn Evans secured a thrilling victory at Rally Sweden on Sunday, leapfrogging teammate Sebastien Ogier to take the top spot in the world championship standings. Evans, 36, claimed his 10th world championship win, with Japan's Takamoto Katsuta finishing second, just 3.8 seconds behind, to complete a Toyota one-two.

The Rally Sweden event, held in the snow-covered terrain around Umea, saw Evans edge out Katsuta in a closely contested battle. Hyundai's reigning world champion Thierry Neuville finished third, a further 8.1 seconds adrift. Evans' win marked a significant milestone in his career and propelled him to the top of the championship standings.

Evans reflected on his victory, saying, “Championship-wise, it's been a very good start. Obviously, it's very early days, but I don't think you could wish for much better than this.” The Welsh driver had led Katsuta overnight by three seconds and managed to stretch his advantage to the finish, despite falling behind in the day's opening stage.

Evans' victory earned him maximum bonus points for a final-stage win, adding to his weekend haul of 35 points. With this result, Evans now leads the championship standings with 61 points, surpassing teammate Ogier's 33 points. Double world champion Kalle Rovanpera and Neuville trail behind with 31 and 29 points, respectively.

Elfyn Evans secured his 10th world championship win with a thrilling victory at Rally Sweden, marking a significant milestone in his career. The win, which came in the second round of the season, has propelled Evans to the top of the championship standings. “Championship-wise, it's been a very good start. Obviously, it's very early days but I don't think you could wish for much better than this,” Evans said.

That winning feeling! 🏆🇸🇪

It’s been an intense weekend fighting for the win, to come away from the weekend with maximum points is amazing.
Taka had an incredible performance, in a very strong team result, congrats to Taka and to the whole team!#EE33 #WRC #ToyotaGAZOORacing pic.twitter.com/D4dJuRJiVH

— Elfyn Evans (@ElfynEvans) February 16, 2025

Evans had led teammate Takamoto Katsuta overnight by three seconds and managed to stretch his advantage to the finish, despite falling behind in the day's opening stage. This impressive performance earned Evans maximum bonus points for a final-stage victory and a weekend haul of 35 points. As a result, Evans now leads the championship standings with 61 points.

Toyota's dominance in the championship is evident, with Evans leading the standings and teammate Sebastien Ogier, an eight-time world champion, in third place with 33 points. Ogier is competing part-time this season. Double world champion Kalle Rovanpera and Thierry Neuville trail behind with 31 and 29 points, respectively. Toyota also leads the manufacturer standings with 120 points to Hyundai's 72.

Katsuta, who finished second behind Evans, expressed his disappointment at not securing his first championship win. “Unfortunately, I was not able to find the victory this time,” Katsuta said. “Elfyn did a great stage time on the last one, so hats off to Elfyn... I'm disappointed I didn't win but it's OK this time.” The Japanese driver's impressive performance demonstrates his growing competitiveness in the championship.

The next round of the World Rally Championship is scheduled to take place from March 20th to 23rd, with the Kenya Safari Rally set to provide a unique and challenging terrain for the drivers. Estonia's Ott Tanak finished fourth for Hyundai, while Rovanpera and Latvian Martins Seks secured fifth and sixth places, respectively.