Adrien Fourmaux Overtakes Lappi in Sweden 2026

Adrien Fourmaux overtakes Esapekka Lappi on Rally Sweden’s penultimate stage as Toyota continues to dominate the top four positions.

Edeh Cupe | 6 jam lalu

WRC, Sportrik Media - Adrien Fourmaux moved into fifth place ahead of team-mate Esapekka Lappi on the penultimate stage of Rally Sweden 2026, becoming the leading Hyundai driver in the event.

Lappi had held a 9.1-second advantage after being 0.9s faster than Fourmaux on the first pass of Sunday’s opening Vastervik stage. However, on the repeat run, the Finn dropped a substantial 12.5 seconds, falling 3.4 seconds behind his French team-mate. The scale of the time loss immediately prompted questions over whether team tactics were involved.

Fourmaux, currently Hyundai’s highest-placed driver in the 2026 World Rally Championship standings, said he had no clear explanation for the shift in pace and maintained that his own performance was consistent compared to the morning loop.

“We just had a text message that we don’t know why he’s coming slower, I don’t know. For me, I had the same pace as this morning. There is a lot of loose gravel and a lot of understeer in every corner, but I do my best,” Fourmaux explained.

When asked directly whether the time loss was strategic, Lappi dismissed the suggestion.

“No, I was just too slow, that’s all. I tried to stay out of the snowbanks and to be very clean, but it seems I was not pushing enough,” he said.

Meanwhile, Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team continued to dominate the rally, locking out the top four positions. Elfyn Evans led the event by 14.0 seconds over Takamoto Katsuta, with Sami Pajari and Oliver Solberg occupying third and fourth respectively.

Evans also topped the Super Sunday classification, albeit by just 0.7 seconds over Katsuta. Solberg, Pajari, and Fourmaux remained on course to secure the remaining bonus points, keeping the competitive intensity high heading into the rally’s final stage.

With internal position changes at Hyundai and Toyota’s continued control at the front, the outcome in Sweden carries important implications for both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ championship battles as the 2026 season progresses.