On Friday, Lappi maximised his starting position and drove wisely. He hardly took any risks, yet the clock was in his favour.
Lappi leads the rally going into Saturday with a 3.2-second margin over Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta.
The conditions on Friday were downright dreadful. Visibility was occasionally non-existent, and the snowfall was very heavy.
“It’s probably the toughest condition I’ve ever had on snow. The last long stage was driven in the dark with extra lights, which added its own challenge. A very challenging day all in all. It’s a bit like if it were snowing in Monte-Carlo and you have a certain track to aim for, but if you go slightly off, then no one controls it,” Lappi said.
“It’s really about the small details. If you drive calmly, then in many places you could probably go faster, but now at least there were no situations at all and that’s very good,” he continued.
Driving in such challenging weather is like walking a tightrope.
“If you want to drive on the edge, that’s not good either. I felt like we came through the last stage overly cautiously, but it was still enough and we got a good time.”
Lappi hasn’t fought for a WRC win for a while. His only victory so far came almost seven years ago in Finland.
“Let’s keep in mind, though, that only one day is behind us and two more to go. The journey is still long, but of course, it’s nice to have successes and thereby gain confidence. It’s good this way,” the Finnish driver chatted.
Saturday promises much better weather in Sweden than was seen on Friday. The sun might even make an appearance. That should suit Lappi much better than the snow inferno seen on Friday.
“But then again, it seems this weather suits me too. Tomorrow will be good weather in any case. This kind of weather is fine by me. It’s only to my advantage,” Lappi reflected.
