Lappi had a good starting position for the fast gravel rally, and he had also competed in a test race in Lithuania the previous weekend. Everything seemed set for Lappi to compete for podium places in Latvia despite his long driving break.
However, Lappi’s pace was lacklustre on Friday’s stages, which relegated him to a poor starting position for the following days. As a result, Lappi finished in ninth place after the final stage. To top it all off, he had to retire after the Power Stage due to an engine failure.
Hyundai team principal Cyril Abiteboul admitted that the Finnish driver’s return after a driving pause of over three months was not handled optimally.
“Most probably, it was a mistake from us with scheduling with Esapekka. So that is something very much to look at in hindsight for how we can do that better next year,” Abiteboul said.
According to Abiteboul, the main mistake was that Lappi jumped back into the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 car in a high-speed rally. The French boss said the team had thought that competing in a national rally in Lithuania would be sufficient preparation for Lappi.
“I think he thought that it was competitive, but the problem is that – I mean no disrespect – but again, the car that was there, drivers that were there, it’s a totally different thing. And I think that he came here thinking that he would be fairly easily competitive. Plus probably the setup that was not optimum,” Abiteboul noted.
“That was a mistake. But having said that, what could we have done differently? Probably, I think actually what these guys at M-Sport have done with Martins Sesks is good. You know, this sort of stint of Poland and then into Latvia.”
Lappi had already agreed with the team well in advance that he would sit out the Rally Poland, where Hyundai’s Norwegian driver Andreas Mikkelsen was eventually in action. Mikkelsen performed surprisingly well, earning Hyundai 15 WRC points by being in second place at the end of Saturday.
“Maybe Andreas could have been faster here, coming from Poland. Having said that, it’s very important for EP to drive in Finland. It was very important for Andreas to drive in Poland. So you’re sitting in the middle and you’re trying to make the best also with what drivers are feeling based on their experience. So it’s tough,” Abiteboul said candidly.
“How could we have done it differently? It’s not so straightforward.”
