Rallying-Tanak leads Rally Sweden into final day

Estonian Ott Tanak will lead Rally Sweden into the final day after finishing Saturday's penultimate leg nearly a minute clear. The Toyota driver led Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen, in a Hyundai, and Citroen's Finnish driver Esapekka Lappi who were tied 54.5 seconds behind.

Belgian Thierry Neuville, also in a Hyundai, was a further 2.3 adrift. Sunday's final leg involves just three stages and a total 51.3km of timed action.

Overnight leader Teemu Suninen lost more than a minute after going into a snow bank early in the day, handing the lead to Tanak. The M-Sport Ford driver later crashed into a tree and retired. "This afternoon the grip changed at every corner and you never knew what to expect. Hopefully we can control things a bit tomorrow, but it’s never an easy ride," commented Tanak.

Six-times world champion Sebastien Ogier, winner of the Monte Carlo opener last month, returned to the fray after getting his Citroen stuck in a snow bank and retiring on Friday. The Frenchman won three of the day's stages but was way back in 33rd place. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Pritha Sarkar)