M-SPORT SQUAD TAKE TO SNOW IN SWEDEN

Event: Rally Sweden | Round: 2/14 | Date: 12–15 February 2026

M-Sport Ford World Rally Team heads to Rally Sweden determined to bounce back from a challenging Rallye Monte-Carlo, with the team targeting strong points-scoring finishes on the FIA World Rally Championship’s only full snow and ice event.

KEY EVENT STATS

• Surface: Snow/Ice

• Base: Umeå

• Stages: 18

• Competitive Distance: 300.66 km

• Total Distance: 1069.44 km

WEEKEND FOCUS

• After a disappointing final day on last month’s Rallye Monte-Carlo for the Rally1 crews, the team targets a clean run in Sweden with strong points-scoring finishes from its crews

• The team welcomes back Mārtiņš Sesks to the Puma Rally1 car, who will aim to improve upon the impressive pace seen last season

• Crews will face the challenge of changing conditions in the Swedish snow, aiming to avoid trouble in the inviting snowbanks

Richard Millener, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Principal, said: “We’re keen to put the misfortune of Sunday in Monte-Carlo behind us, and Rally Sweden now gives us the opportunity to refocus on the potential of our crews to perform well here. Jon’s impressive debut during the opening days in Monte-Carlo showed his pace, and his previous experience in Sweden in the Junior category will support him this time. Josh and Mārtiņš both performed well here last year, and we hope they can deliver similar results again.

“We’re also pleased to be fielding two Fiesta Rally2 cars in Sweden. Romet is joined by last year’s Junior World Rally Championship winner, Mille Johansson, who makes his debut with us on his home rally. Mille has a lot to adjust to with the step up to the Rally2 car, but there’s no doubt his experience on home soil will help him. I’m looking forward to a strong M-Sport showing next week.”

CREW LINE-UP 

FORD PUMA RALLY1

#55 / Josh McErlean & Eoin Treacy

• Rallye-Monte Carlo result: Retired Sunday

• Rally Sweden result 2025: 46th overall (2 min penalty after becoming stuck in a snow bank on the final day)

Josh McErlean said: “Sweden is a rally I’m really looking forward to. The focus is now on bouncing back, keeping things consistent, and building momentum across the whole weekend. We showed a strong performance level here last year, and with the extra experience I’ve gained since then, the goal is to repeat that level and keep pushing forward. I’m focused and ready to get back to work with the team.”

#95 / Jon Armstrong & Shane Byrne

• Rallye-Monte Carlo result: Retired Sunday

• Rally Sweden result 2022: 1st WRC3 Junior, 14th overall

Jon Armstrong said: “I’m really looking forward to Rally Sweden. It’s the only full snow event on the calendar, so it’s always the ultimate playground for driving a rally car. Hopefully we can have something a bit more consistent in terms of conditions compared to the first round of the season. We’ve also got our test with the Puma coming up this weekend, which will be important preparation. I haven’t competed in Sweden since 2022, but I have great memories from the event - that was the year I won the Junior category. The stages have changed a bit since then, so there will be plenty of new notes to write during recce, but I’m really excited for the challenge ahead.”

#22 / Mārtiņš Sesks & Renārs Francis

• Most recent result: Retired Sunday on Rally Saudi Arabia 2025 (leading until final day)

• Rally Sweden result 2025: 6th overall

• 2025 WRC Championship Result: 12th in Drivers’ and Co-driver’s championships

Mārtiņš Sesks said: “I’m happy to be starting my first event of the year with M-Sport, and I’m really curious to see how we’ll do on our second Rally Sweden. We want to use the experience we gained last year and apply it this time around. I’m really looking forward to being back with the team and the car, and hopefully we can target another good result and show a similar pace to what we had in Saudi.”

FORD FIESTA RALLY2

#27 / Romet Jürgenson & Siim Oja

• Rallye-Monte Carlo result: 9th RC2, 16th overall

• Rally Sweden result 2025: 7th WRC2, 15th overall

• Current 2026 Championship position: 13th in Drivers’ and Co-drivers’ championships

Romet Jürgenson said: “It’s always exciting to go to Sweden and drive on snow and ice, especially with the big snowbanks. Going into the rally, we can already be more confident as we’ve competed in this event before. The key will be getting a good feeling with the car during testing, which will really allow us to push in these conditions, as the gaps are going to be very small and performance is crucial here. That’s the aim - to go for it at this event.”

#26 / Mille Johansson / Johan Grӧnvall

• Most recent result: 1st JWRC on Central European Rally 2025 (12th overall)

• Rally Sweden result 2025: 2nd JWRC, 19th overall

Mille Johansson said: “I’m incredibly excited to step up to WRC2 – it’s a very big step in the right direction for my career. Now we have to work extremely hard to deliver results against the best drivers in the world, and that gives me a lot of motivation and determination.

“Expectations will naturally vary from event to event. At some rallies I want to make a real impact, while others will be more about gaining mileage and building experience with both the car and myself.

“Rally Sweden is really the event where I want to show good and consistent pace over the whole weekend and hopefully have a great debut in WRC2.”

Published 06 February 2026