The Belgian driver takes the Swedish Rally and is leading the overall standings with ten points ahead of Ogier.
Thierry Neuville is now another possible contender for the World Rally Championship. The Belgian has won the Swedish Rally and becomes the third non-Nordic driver in history to do so. Sébastien Loeb did it for the first time in 2004 and his compatriot Sébastien Ogier won it on three occasions. It is considered almost a feat that this happens, although the most affiliated to this competition can always criticize that the cars now help these pilots to achieve it.
They are not wrong in their claims, being accustomed to the particularities and difficulties that this rally awakens is an advantage that non-Nordics have suffered for a long time. But you need the quality which in this edition, Thierry Neuville has shown. He has starred in an almost perfect Rally, where only one spin yesterday, put in danger his victory.
He had his redemption for his loss last year. He threw the victory to Latvala on the last day. He abandoned when he had a distance of 46 seconds. This time, the ghosts of the past have not appeared and has culminated what he started last season. He is in a very good state and that has allowed him to jump to the first position of the general. Despite his mistake in Monte Carlo in the first event of the season, Neuville has 41 points, ten more than his immediate pursuer, Ogier.
The Frenchman has completed a bad Rally, where he has not passed the eleventh position, very damaged by the start order in the stages. Despite being behind Tänak, another of the main candidates to fight for the championship who has been ninth, Ogier has added two points more than the Estonian, thanks to mark the second best time of the Power Stage on Sunday.
The surprise was given by Craig Breen, who has fought with Neuville until the last stage. He started the day on Sunday scratching 8 seconds to Neuville, although in the next two stages, Thierry has stopped managing the advantage and prevented a comeback from the Irishman.
Citröen’s driver has achieved his best result in the WRC, surpassing the third place he harvested in the Rally of Finland in 2016. Mikkelsen with Hyundai was third, Lappi fourth and Paddon finally fifth.
| POS | # | DRIVER | TIME | DIFF PREV | DIFF 1ST |
| 1. | 5 |  T. NEUVILLE |
2:52:13.1 | ||
| 2. | 11 |  C. BREEN |
2:52:32.9 | +19.8 | +19.8 |
| 3. | 4 |  A. MIKKELSEN |
2:52:41.4 | +8.5 | +28.3 |
| 4. | 9 |  E. LAPPI |
2:52:58.9 | +17.5 | +45.8 |
| 5. | 6 |  H. PADDON |
2:53:07.5 | +8.6 | +54.4 |
| 6. | 12 | M. OSTBERG |
2:53:28.4 | +20.9 | +1:15.3 |
| 7. | 7 | J. LATVALA |
2:54:18.0 | +49.6 | +2:04.9 |
| 8. | 3 | T. SUNINEN |
2:55:05.3 | +47.3 | +2:52.2 |
| 9. | 8 |  O. TÄNAK |
2:55:57.5 | +52.2 | +3:44.4 |
| 10. | 2 |  E. EVANS |
2:57:40.5 | +1:43.0 | +5:27.4 |
| 11. | 1 |  S. OGIER |
3:00:58.5 | +3:18.0 | +8:45.4 |
