WRC Sweden: Latvala heads VW team-mate Mikkelsen by just 1.6s
Jari-Matti Latvala heads Andreas Mikkelsen by 1.6 seconds in a very close Rally Sweden lead battle after their Volkswagen team-mate Sebastien Ogier's Friday morning mistake
Overnight leader Ogier tumbled to 20th when he went off into a snow bank on the Lesjofers stage, meaning Mikkelsen and Latvala were fighting for the lead.
Mikkelsen initially took his advantage up to 3.3s, but then had a high-speed trip through a ditch on Rammen.
He minimised the time loss, falling only 1.8s behind Latvala in the overall standings, and then trimmed 0.2s from that gap on the short Hagfors stage before service.
Citroen's Mads Ostberg has pulled clear of Mikko Hirvonen and Ott Tanak in the third place battle, with Tanak having fallen behind his two rivals with a spin on the day's first stage.
Returnee Tanak admitted that his World Rally Championship novice co-driver Raigo Molder's inexperience was showing on the faster stages, where pace notes were not as rapid as required.
Thierry Neuville damaged his Hyundai on a rock on SS8 and had to retire, but his team-mate Juho Hanninen has kept the other i20 in sixth place.
Pontus Tidemand and Kris Meeke have swapped places repeatedly through the morning and are now seventh and eighth, with Meeke reporting an unspecified issue with his Citroen on the way to service.
Henning Solberg lost time with a spin before making amends by winning the Hagfors stage, leaving him ninth, ahead of M-Sport team-mates Robert Kubica and Elfyn Evans, who are just 0.1s apart in 10th and 11th.
Ogier responded to his mistake by immediately taking two fastest stage times, bringing him back up to 13th. He is 1m33s away from the points.
Leading positions after SS11: Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap 1. Jari-Matti Latvala VW 1h14m02.3s 2. Andreas Mikkelsen VW +1.6s 3. Mads Ostberg Citroen +26.6s 4. Mikko Hirvonen M-Sport Ford +33.8s 5. Ott Tanak M-Sport Ford +42.9s 6. Juho Hanninen Hyundai +1:09.2s 7. Pontus Tidemand M-Sport Ford +1:53.9s 8. Kris Meeke Citroen +1:55.3s 9. Henning Solberg Solberg Ford +2:14.9s 10. Robert Kubica M-Sport Ford +2:34.0s
Follow Rally Sweden as it happens on Race Centre Live.
WRC Sweden: Sebastien Ogier goes off and loses lead
WRC Sweden: Latvala keeps narrow lead from Mikkelsen
Why WRC's Safari tour is more than just a rally
OPINION: A source of national pride in Kenya, the Safari Rally is also a sporting, cultural and economic phenomenon. And as last weekend's World Rally Championship round reminded us, it's a key driver in establishing Africa’s place in world motorsport
How Rovanpera tamed a wild Safari Rally
The Safari Rally acted as a brutal test of driver and car resolve as multiple retirements opened the path for a historic Toyota 1-2-3-4 triumph, headed by star Kalle Rovanpera. But keeping things clean was only half of the challenge, as a well-timed charge when conditions worsened allowed the Finn to take control
How Tanak turned the tables to deliver Hyundai a timely WRC triumph
The 2019 champion has been a bit-part player recently, but Ott Tanak ended a 15-month drought in fine style with a dominant win in Sardinia. On a weekend when championship leader Kalle Rovanpera struggled with cleaning the road, his Hyundai rival has made his belated arrival into the title race and given cause for those predicting a walkover from the Toyota star to pause
How Rovanpera overcame rallying royalty in Portugal to extend his WRC lead
Although the Rally Portugal entry list featured World Rally Championship royalty in Sebastiens Loeb and Ogier, victory was secured by rallying's rising star in Kalle Rovanpera. Here's the story of his 2022 hat-trick, as his key rivals faltered among the gravel and asphalt ahead of them
The former WRC star playing the unsung hero role for Rovanpera
Kalle Rovanpera’s 2022 World Rally Championship displays have been spectacular, with the Toyota driver benefitting from a secret weapon in his crew to win two of the opening three rallies. But while the former challenger to Sebastien Loeb won’t take credit for his fellow Finn's performances, a key bond has been formed which could prove key to Rovanpera’s title charge
How Rovanpera's Croatia turnaround sent a message to his WRC rivals
After a dominating Rally Croatia, a wrong tyre choice on the final day looked to have undone all Kalle Rovanpera's hard work and left him with a mountain to climb heading into the power stage. That he emerged the winner all the same has surely quelled any lingering doubts that the Finn is the man to beat in the 2022 WRC
How M-Sport's faith in Loubet led to a WRC reprieve after a dismal 2021
It's fair to say 2021 was a year to forget for Pierre-Louis Loubet. A maiden full World Rally Championship season offered hope but soon turned into a nightmare that ended in hospital, after being hit by a car in a road traffic accident. Now handed a lifeline by M-Sport, the Frenchman is desperate to rebuild his career
Why WRC mechanics deserve more respect
The drivers get the glare of attention, but it’s the mechanics who are key to the operation of any World Rally Championship car. Autosport donned a set of overalls and joined M-Sport on a Belgian national rally event to get an inside look into the trials and tribulations of a rally mechanic