STOCKHOLM: Ford's Mikko Hirvonen led a group of five drivers in the season-opening Rally of Sweden Saturday with Citroen's seven times world champion Sebastien Loeb lagging well behind in sixth place. The difference between the Finn and Citroen's fifth-placed Sebastien Ogier was just 14.8 seconds going into the last super-special stage of the day with Frenchman Loeb well adrift and one minute 41.5 seconds off the lead. Norway's Petter Solberg was in third place, but could yet start the final day in the lead after appealing against a 10 second penalty for arriving late at a stage.