Esapekka Lappi, the 35-year-old Finnish driver, will hold a press conference on Monday with Skoda Motorsport Finland. There, he is expected to announce the next step in his professional rally career. The news comes after a challenging WRC season with Hyundai.
Lappi recently completed what was, for now, his final WRC event as a Hyundai factory driver at Rally Chile last week. However, his season is not over yet; he will compete in the Finnish Rally Championship finale in Porvoo next week. But the most anticipated moment is his future announcement.
At the same press conference, the future plans of promising young Finnish driver Lauri Halonen, 16, will also be revealed. This indicates that the event will not only focus on Lappi but also on the next generation of Finnish talent.
A Bitter End to the Season
After Rally Chile, Lappi did not disclose his plans. A RallyJournal.com reporter asked him directly if he would be seen in the WRC again. He replied briefly, “Maybe never again. I don’t know.”
This season, Lappi competed as a part-time Hyundai driver, sharing the team’s third car with Hayden Paddon and Dani Sordo. He contested five WRC rallies. His best result was fourth at Safari Rally Kenya. He finished sixth in Sweden and Chile, while eighth was all he achieved in Estonia. His home event in Finland ended in a crash.
Although Lappi finished sixth in Chile, the result gave him little reason to smile. There was a clear reason: he was never able to find competitive pace and eventually finished more than five minutes behind the winner.
After the rally, Lappi explained why his pace was so subdued. “We should change the rear diff completely, and then it would be better. But we cannot do that because Chile was linked with Paraguay. I think that would help me a lot, but it was not possible,” he said.
Lappi was unable to find proper confidence in his car at any point during the rally. One major factor was that he had not had any pre-event testing. “I think this is exactly what we deserved in terms of preparation. I came straight here after the crash in Finland without any driving in between, and then we were thrown into these conditions. For me, it’s impossible.”
With the announcement coming, rally fans are waiting to see if Lappi will continue in the WRC, move to another championship, or perhaps retire. One thing is certain: his next move will be revealed soon.
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