Hyundai sporting director Andrew Wheatley has staunchly defended the team's decision to field Esapekka Lappi at Rally Chile. The Finnish driver endured a disappointing Friday, trailing his rivals by a significant margin.
Hyundai has been rotating its third car among Lappi, Hayden Paddon, and Dani Sordo. Lappi got the nod for Chile, despite Paddon's runner-up finish in Paraguay two weeks earlier. The decision raised eyebrows.
After Friday's six stages, Lappi is last among the Rally1 cars that haven't retired, already 2 minutes and 6 seconds behind rally leader Oliver Solberg (Toyota). Teammate Adrien Fourmaux leads Hyundai's charge, 1m46s ahead of Lappi, with Thierry Neuville a further 9.4s adrift.
Asked if it was the wrong decision, Wheatley said, "I don't know if it's the wrong decision. He's having a tough weekend, no question. It's not what he wants to do and it's not where he wants to be."
Wheatley explained that wet and slippery conditions don't suit the Hyundai i20 N Rally1. "We felt that with EP, he had a reasonable chance in normal conditions. In dry conditions, he'd have a normal chance to be in a good position this morning. His setup for this morning wasn't suited to the rain and from then on it's been complicated," he said. He also noted that Lappi's road position as the last Hyundai worsened his plight.
Responding to Paddon's strong performance in Paraguay, Wheatley insisted entries were closed well before that event. "I understand your situation, but I think the conditions this weekend are quite different. Thierry is in sixth, and Thierry had the speed to be winning in Paraguay as well, so it's not 100% down to driver," he stressed. Wheatley also highlighted Lappi's experience in Chile, having done the rally twice before for Hyundai, and his improved speed in Finland after a tough outing.
However, Lappi's future with Hyundai could end on a sour note. "From his perspective, possibly this could be his last rally in a Rally1 car," Wheatley admitted. But he hopes the weekend won't be a disappointing farewell. "We don't want to see it end like that," he concluded.
Baca Juga
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