With five special stages completed, Oliver Solberg placed fourth - but after the sixth stage, Solberg lost one position and eight seconds on Evans.
- No tires, it was that simple.
I took a chance on the stretch with the tires and you can see how bad it went, he says.
There was only a difference of 14 seconds between fifth-placed Solberg and the reigning champion Elfyn Evans in the lead before the seventh leg - a sprint on Friday night in Umeå.
Evans had just under a second lead over Belgian Thierry Neuville.
"A pretty positive day"
In the sprint, Solberg lost 14 seconds and is now 28 seconds behind Neuville, who took the lead.
Oliver Solberg was quite happy after Friday, even though tire problems caused it during the final distances.
- It has been a pretty positive day.
I have the speed, he says and adds:
- I'm not too far behind.
Last year, the Swedish rally was canceled as a result of the corona pandemic.
This year is the first time the rally classic has been decided in Umeå since the move from Karlstad.
Solberg has at best a fifth place in the WRC class since before, from Italian Monza in November last year.