Lappi couldn’t match the speed of the leaders on the fast gravel roads. After four special stages, the driver from Finland is only in eighth place. The gap to the leader has already grown to a hefty 32.6 seconds.
“It doesn’t lift the spirits, does it, when you can’t get anywhere and don’t understand why. It would be nice to know what the problem is. I’m feeling down,” Lappi lamented.
“I can’t say what’s really wrong here. It feels like the car is just sliding a lot, especially the rear end. I can’t take longer corners at all. I can’t load the car into a position and then accelerate. The rear goes its own way. We need to figure something out,” Lappi continued.
Lappi last drove a WRC rally in March in Kenya. The Finn claimed before the rally that he had no issues with his driving rhythm. Perhaps the grip on the car’s settings has slipped a bit.
“It could be because of that. Usually, I’ve driven quite well after a break. I can’t say for sure, though. I’m quite puzzled,” Lappi said.
It would be important for the Hyundai driver to improve his position during Friday afternoon’s loop; otherwise, his starting position on Saturday will be poor. Adrien Fourmaux in the Ford and Elfyn Evans in the Toyota, who are ahead of him, are ten seconds away.
“It would be important to climb a few positions because tomorrow there will be even more cleaning. It’s important to succeed, but forcing it won’t change anything. It ends badly. We tried that last season.”