Junior WRC
Imperious Carlberg cruises clear in Sweden
Calle Carlberg delivered a clinical display on Saturday at Rally Sweden, winning six of seven stages to tighten his grip on a maiden FIA Junior WRC victory on home snow.
The Swede began the leg with a 43.7sec buffer and stretched it to 1min 19.5sec by the overnight halt in Umeå, leaving Finland’s Leevi Lassila as his only realistic challenger heading into Sunday’s three-stage finale.
Carlberg wasted no time asserting control, sweeping through the morning loop of Vännäs 1 (15.65km), Sarsjöliden 1 (14.23km) and Kolksele 1 (18.27km) unbeaten – but at midday service, he revealed he was far from the limit.
“I know I could do more speed-wise, but I don’t want to ruin the position that I am in,” Carlberg said. “We are driving at around 80 per cent and just trying to be smart.”
Lassila had no answer to the early charge. While the Finn remained comfortably second overall, he struggled to generate the bite he needed from the icy surface and conceded further ground as the day unfolded.
Finland's Lassila is on course for a podium
© WRC
The only interruption to Carlberg’s clean sweep came on Vännäs 2, where Türkiye’s Ali Türkkan - restarting after Friday’s retirement - underlined his pace by beating the leader by 5.6sec.
Normal service resumed immediately afterwards as Carlberg edged Lassila by just 1.1sec on Sarsjöliden 2 before winning Kolksele 2 and the Umeå Sprint to complete a near-perfect day.
“It’s been a good day without major mistakes,” he said. “We have followed our plan to perfection, and six out of seven stage wins tells the story. We also managed to save new tyres for tomorrow, so all in all a good day.”
Türkkan's SS12 win was the only blemish on Carlberg’s scorecard
© WRC
Behind the leading duo, Raúl Hernández continued a measured run to third overall, 3min 13.9sec adrift of the lead. The Spaniard has driven a largely solitary rally since Friday and focused on consolidating what would be an important podium finish to open the 2026 campaign.
Compatriot Gil Membrado held fourth after adopting a risk-free approach following Friday’s wheel damage, while Ireland’s Craig Rahill rounded out the top five despite feeling his set-up wasn’t optimal for today’s faster roads.
Further back, Türkkan and Kerem Kazaz both returned to action after Friday retirements, the latter admitting hesitation under braking as he rebuilt confidence.
Fontana doubles down in WRC3
Italy's Matteo Fontana continued his dominant run in WRC3, winning six of the day's seven stages to extend his lead beyond two minutes. Second in the category still belongs to Poland's Tymek Abramowski, while Raúl Hernández sits a distant third.
