Last year, Hyundai fielded three full-season drivers: Thierry Neuville, Ott Tänak and Adrien Fourmaux. Tänak stepped away from the World Rally Championship, at least for the time being, at the end of the season, forcing Hyundai to find a replacement for the Estonian.
In the end, Hyundai opted not to appoint a single successor, instead signing three part-time drivers to share its third Rally1 car: Esapekka Lappi, Dani Sordo and Hayden Paddon.
Rotating three drivers in the same car is a familiar tactic for Hyundai. As recently as the 2024 season, Lappi, Sordo and Andreas Mikkelsen shared driving duties in the team’s third car.
At its best, the strategy can work well, as part-time drivers benefit from favourable road positions on gravel rallies. But it also carries clear risks.
Neuville, the 2024 World Champion, is well aware of this.
“This year, Adrien and I will have to carry the whole team. The third car will be shared by three drivers this season. This strategy has sometimes worked very well, and at other times it has worked less well,” Neuville told Belgian broadcaster RTBF.
“We will have to see what level of performance our team-mates can reach. It is never easy to jump into the car for just a few rallies, without the same preparation as us, without the same experience of certain events. It will be extremely difficult for them, but the choice of drivers has been a good one,” the Belgian star added.
Lappi and Sordo were absent from WRC competition last season, but both enjoyed success at national level. Lappi won the Finnish championship in a Škoda Rally2 car, while Sordo claimed the Portuguese rally championship driving Hyundai’s Rally2 machinery.
Paddon has been away from the WRC for a longer period, having last competed in the top class in 2018. In 2022, he contested three WRC rounds in Hyundai Rally2 equipment and claimed a WRC2 victory on home soil in New Zealand. Since then, he has won the European Rally Championship twice and secured the Australian rally championship title last season.
“I hope that Adrien and I can support them so that, in return, they can support us in the fight for the manufacturers’ title. We want to have the opportunity to fight for the championship, as we were not able to truly challenge Toyota in 2025,” Neuville said.
The World Rally Championship season gets under way next week with the iconic Rally Monte Carlo.
