The season started off well for the driver from Finland with a victory on the snowy roads of Sweden in February, marking his second WRC win. However, things have been tougher since then. The Safari Rally in March was plagued by technical issues, and Latvia also proved difficult.
The biggest disappointment of the year came on home soil at Rally Finland in early August. Lappi was in fourth place on Friday afternoon, but his Hyundai was wrecked after crashing into a tree, ending his race.
Chile marks Lappi’s last WRC rally this year behind the wheel of Hyundai’s Rally1 car, and it could potentially be his final event at the top level of his career.
Hyundai has yet to announce their third driver for next season. It’s possible that Hyundai will continue rotating drivers in the third car, but if they opt for a full-time driver, Lappi may be left out of the lineup.
Despite the speculation surrounding his future, which has been swirling for weeks, Lappi’s focus remains firmly on the upcoming rally.
“I am feeling prepared for Chile, we did some testing in Finland prior to Acropolis so we have had some important seat time in the car fairly recently,” Lappi says.
“The surface is quite unique: there is a lot of loose gravel, but it can also be abrasive when the road section begins to be cleaned.”
According to Lappi, the key to success in Chile is finding the right setup to preserve the tyres and ensuring the car feels good over the crests and jumps. Last year’s Rally Chile ended early for Lappi, as he rolled his car in the final corner of the opening stage.
“A good setup and perfect pace notes are crucial to fast times at this event. We need a lot of stability and traction from the car, and because of the crests, corners and banks, it can be hard to see where the road is going,” Lappi explains.
“We have seen very different weather conditions here in 2019 and 2023, so we rely even more than usual on the weather team because of the time of year. I am excited to be back in the car and I am hoping to bring a lot of points home for the team.”
Rally Chile consists of 16 special stages, covering approximately 307 kilometres. The rally kicks off with the shakedown on Thursday afternoon CET.
