M-Sport newcomers Esapekka Lappi and co-driver Janne Ferm headed up the team efforts last time out as the achieved the best result for the team at the season-opener at Rallye Monte-Carlo, finishing in fourth overall.
After a poor start to Rallye Monte-Carlo with cooling issues, it was Lappi who came out on top for the team. He is now looking to increase his performance in the new car as they head to the second round of the season this weekend in Sweden.
Lappi finished second overall last season in Rally Sweden when he drove for Citroën Racing in the Citroën C3 WRC, he made his Rally Sweden debut in 2016 in WRC2 where he took a podium finish.
“I’ve had some good results at Rally Sweden – especially last year when we finished second on our second event with a new car so let’s see if we can do the same again this year! Of course the competition will be strong and no one really knows what the conditions will be like, but we will give it our best.” Lappi said.
“We’re testing this weekend when we’ll get our first indication of what to expect. The Swedish stages are always fast, which I enjoy, but there could only be a small layer of ice which will make tyre management pretty important when it comes to retaining the studs for the whole loop. Fourth on the road could be a decent position, but let’s wait and see.”
