Warm weather thretens Sweden stages

Plans for the crews to recce this evening's Karlstad spectator stage in their rally cars have been shelved - the crews will now use recce cars, with smaller studs which will cause less damage to the road.

The temperature has remained above zero for the last two days in the event's home town, with today's average around six degrees and hopes of snowfall tonight fading.

Tomorrow's stages in Norway are located at higher altitude and further north, so they are likely to be in better condition.

Mads Ostberg said: "We know in some of the stages around Hagfors the snow is melting quite quickly now.

"It's colder in Norway at the moment and that could help tomorrow's roads a little bit more, but we know that if it's plus five then it could be difficult for the conditions."

Should the warmer conditions prevail, many frontrunners are tipping Robert Kubica to be the man in the box-seat, as the Pole's Pirelli tyres are reckoned to work best of all in slushy conditions.

One leading driver said: "He could be taking half a minute a stage out of the rest of us if it stays like this. Robert could be the man to watch."

Pirelli shone at times during the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally, in particular when Kubica took 50 seconds out of Sebastien Loeb in just under four miles over Sisteron's snowy section.