Esapekka Lappi openly told Hyundai that they should have fielded Hayden Paddon at Rally Chile last week instead of him. The Finn struggled for pace and finished sixth, while Paddon had earlier impressed with a second-place finish on his Rally1 gravel debut in Paraguay.
Paddon drove the third i20 N Rally1 at Rally del Paraguay two weeks prior, starring by taking second place on his first gravel event in the car. Entries for Rally Chile closed before Paraguay, so Paddon's result couldn't be factored in, but Lappi felt the continuity of Paddon in the car for both South American events made sense. "For this rally, I know it was not the right choice to have me in the car, but this I already said in Finland that they should take Hayden," he told DirtFish.
Lappi added that Paddon already had the rally under his belt from Paraguay, making it more natural for him to continue. "But OK they made a different decision," he said. The Finn revealed his main motivation to accept his Hyundai role in 2026 was "because I just wanted to do Finland," but he still believes it was the right decision to accept it. "Well, I think, personally, it was the right [decision]," he said. "I have enjoyed many days, let's say like this."
While Hyundai's third driver for the final event is not yet confirmed (with the final event itself not even confirmed), Lappi is not expected to return. That brings his three-season association with Hyundai to a close, starting with a full season in 2023 and then two part-time campaigns in 2024 and '26. "It's been a lot of ups and downs," Lappi reflected. "The first full season, the middle part of it was actually fairly good. We had many podiums in a row. Then we had a bit of a downhill and then to come back to win in Sweden was for sure the highlight. And yeah, this year has been a bit of a downhill."
He also noted that in Sweden they were good, Kenya was just a good strategy, and the last three events haven't been so successful. "But yeah, the guys have tried to support me all the time, so I need to give thanks to them," he added. Lappi voluntarily gave up a full-time WRC seat for 2024 as he wanted to spend more time with his family, and seemed at peace with his WRC career ending before he received the call to return with Hyundai this season.
Asked if he's finding the right work/life balance, the two-time WRC winner concluded: "Most of the time, yes. But, if I'm honest, the idea of having a free calendar without anybody saying where I need to be except my wife, it feels good at the moment."
Baca Juga
Esapekka Lappi menyatakan Hyundai seharusnya memilih Hayden Paddon untuk Rally Chile, bukan dirinya. Lappi finis keenam dan mengakhiri karier WRC-nya.
Kecelakaan hebat di Junior WRC membuat Carlberg kehilangan gelar dan hadiah empat putaran WRC2. Simak kisah selengkapnya di Sportrik.
Zona tukar ban WRC di Chile menuai pujian dari Adrien Fourmaux dan Sami Pajari. Simak dampaknya bagi klasemen dan strategi balap.
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