Rally Sweden 2025 kicked off with a high-speed opening stage

Evans won the short spectator stage, Umeå SS1, with a time of 3:21.6, five-tenths ahead of his teammate Kalle Rovanperä and Hyundai star Ott Tänak. The latter two clocked in at the same time as the Finnish driver.

That said, the first stage is always something of a warm-up for the drivers, and Friday marks the real start of the competition, with seven special stages ahead.

One noticeable trend was that the M-Sport Ford quartet—Joshua McErlean, Gregoire Munster, Martins Sesks, and the Greek gentleman driver Jourdan Serderidis—occupied the bottom four positions in the WRC1 class.

In the WRC2 category, Oliver Solberg, now driving full-time for Prinsport in his Toyota GR Yaris, expressed concerns ahead of the rally due to limited time to familiarize himself with the new car. However, as usual, when the Värmland native takes on Umeå, he puts his foot down. He is the fastest on the first stage, 1.4 seconds ahead of Umeå debutant and fellow Swede Pontus Tidemand, followed by the Finnish duo Roope Korhonen and 18-year-old rally prospect Tuukka Kauppinen.

True to tradition, Rally Sweden’s opening day was more wintery than ever, with almost surgically beautiful landscapes framing Umeå as one of the WRC circus’s most spectacular events.

The much-discussed shakedown stage along the Ume River promenade, where drivers had a final chance to fine-tune their cars before the competition, had initially raised questions. The route is a popular recreational area for Umeå residents.

But what a success it turned out to be. The people of Umeå quite literally had the rally in their laps, as preschoolers and office workers could sneak out for a moment to catch the world’s best rally drivers in action—free of charge and in the city’s heart.

With the Red Barn area more impressively decorated than ever—featuring wider snow grandstands and some layout adjustments—Umeå is increasingly shaping to be an unparalleled event in the WRC series.

The city’s mighty skyline framed the entire day as motorsport fans poured in to witness the drama of the season’s only winter rally.

Now, the classic forest stages await, where drivers will take on the fast and snowy roads of Västerbotten.