Lappi has been with Hyundai’s WRC team since the beginning of last year. In the 2023 season, the Finnish driver competed in all WRC events, but for this year, he opted for a part-time contract with Hyundai.
Lappi’s contract expires at the end of the year, and there are no guarantees at this stage that he will continue with Hyundai.
“Our situation is certainly not the strongest,” Lappi referred to his performances in the Finnish and Latvian WRC rounds.
“We’ve had some poor results recently, although in Kenya there was nothing we could do. We did well in the Power Stage there. Here in Finland, Sunday went well, and Saturday wasn’t bad either, even though it was mostly testing,” Lappi said.
Lappi opened his season in February in Sweden, where he immediately celebrated a victory. However, things have been tougher since then.
In the Safari Rally Kenya, technical issues and unfortunate incidents slowed Lappi’s progress. In the Rally Latvia, his pace was lacking, but in the Rally Finland, Lappi could have fought for a top position. His battle at the front ended on Friday when he crashed his Hyundai into a tree.
Hyundai currently only has a contract for next season with Ott Tänak. It is highly likely that the other star driver, Thierry Neuville, will also continue with the team. However, the future of the drivers alternating in the third car – Lappi, Andreas Mikkelsen, and Dani Sordo – remains uncertain.
“I can’t say where we stand. But I’m not overly stressed about it. Whatever the outcome, I’m sure things will be fine for me next year,” Lappi concluded.
