The New Zealander will start the legendary Monte Carlo World Rally Championship round with a measured mindset. This season, Paddon will share Hyundai’s third car with two other veterans, Dani Sordo and Esapekka Lappi. The trio’s task during their respective outings is to act purely as team players, with no room for taking unnecessary risks.
Paddon last competed in the top category seven years ago, so the challenge is not an easy one. A couple of years ago, Andreas Mikkelsen was Hyundai’s WRC team asphalt specialist, a role that is now also being tried on Paddon’s shoulders. Mikkelsen was unable to work miracles, as finding a driving rhythm on a sporadic basis proved difficult, and testing opportunities were extremely limited.
Everything points to the fact that it is also pointless to expect miracles from Paddon in the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally. The man himself admits as much.
“I don’t think anyone truly knows what to expect from the surface and weather conditions until we get there – that’s the unpredictability of Monte Carlo – so we have to prepare for every possibility,” Paddon says.
“Our goal is for us to finish, and we’ll be keeping it clean to support Thierry and Adrien in their fight at the front.”
Paddon admits that he has butterflies in his stomach.
“There’s definitely a mix of nerves and excitement ahead of Rallye Monte-Carlo, but I’m sure once we get into it those nerves will settle. It’s the most challenging event of the season, so it’s a daunting prospect, but I’m excited to drive a very cool car at such a historic event,” the New Zealander says.
“We did a test at Hyundai Motorsport’s new base to get some proper mileage in the car so we can adapt and learn a bit more about the Hyundai i20 N Rally1.”
