Runners-up last year, with a total of five stage wins, the Citroen C3 WRC was the only car able to disrupt the domination of the local team. Having already secured seven podiums this season, including two wins in Monte-Carlo and Mexico, the C3 WRC will be taking on Rally Finland, hoping to match last year's performance.

Both Ogier / Ingrassia and Lappi / Ferm have already won here, in 2013 and 2017 respectively. Both teams have demonstrated that they are comfortable with the subtle demands of this tricky, high-speed balancing act, where speed, precision, and confidence are the vital ingredients to success.

Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia are one of the few non-Scandinavian crews to win this event, which has long been dominated by Nordic drivers. Currently second in the championship (just four points behind the leader) and looking for a seventh consecutive world title, they will start the event filled with confidence.

There is no doubt that they will be determined to do well again this year at their home WRC event, driven on by the Finnish spirit Sisu; a unique term adopted by the Finns that represents grit, tenacity and determination, meaning that they can up their game on home turf. The fact that the pair will be running eighth on the road may also prove to be a significant advantage if the weather stays dry.

With Lappi / Ferm competing at Rally Estonia, on similar types of roads, followed by three days of testing in Finland, the French team has given them every chance of performing well. After successfully reviewing different options in pre-event testing, the team has decided to use an upgrade token to make some changes which allows the C3 WRC to feature a wider range of setup options on its front axle in Finland.