Nasser Al-Attiyah is a desert specialist, as a multiple Middle East rally champion who has also previously won the Dakar Rally.
Snow, he says, is one of the biggest challenges he can face - as he makes his debut with a Citroen DS3 WRC in Sweden.
“Yes, I think it’s fair to say that it couldn’t be more tricky for me!” said the Qatari. “But the main thing is that I’m really enjoying it. I need to stay on the road and it’s really very difficult, but we are finding our rhythm. In my mind, I want to push, but it’s really narrow and I have to be careful. There’s lots of loose snow and I need to be at the finish. We’re just taking it easy.”
The former Production Car world champion will contest all the remaining rounds of the WRC, in his most serious assault yet at the very top level of the sport. Currently, Al-Attiyah is just outside the top 20.
His team-mate in Citroen’s satellite squad, Thierry Neuville from Belgium, set a third-fastest stage time yesterday but is also concentrating on learning - having failed to finish on his debut in Monte Carlo last month.
“This was the most difficult stage of the rally,” said Neuville after Fredriksberg. “We’re really relaxed and we can continue like this. We’re making a few changes to the pacenotes and learning all the time.”