Esapekka Lappi

In the spring of 2017, Esapekka Lappi got behind the wheel of the Toyota Yaris and immediately impressed with his speed in the Rally Portugal and Rally Sardinia. Then, in July’s Rally Finland, he clinched his first WRC victory, adding a prestigious win to his resume. In the 2018 season, Lappi drove his first full season in a WRC car, achieving three podium finishes by placing third in Sardinia, Germany, and Wales.

Lappi has a WRC2 class championship from the 2016 season under his belt. In 2014, the driver from Finland celebrated winning the European Rally Championship with Skoda. Lappi’s pace first became evident in 2012 Rally Finland in, when he won gold in the SM1 class by winning every event of the season.

Lappi began his racing career on circuits, but due to a lack of funding, he switched to rallying. Right away in 2010, the young Lappi received the Rookie of the Year award in Finland.

For the 2019 season, Lappi moved to the Citroen team with a two-year contract. The 2019 season was not without problems – despite three second-place finishes, Lappi ended up tenth in the championship points, making him the lowest-ranked Finnish driver that year. After the season, Citroen announced its withdrawal from the WRC, leaving Lappi without a team for 2020. However, he found a place with M-Sport Ford for the 2020 season.

The year 2020 was challenging, as M-Sport did not conduct much testing due to financial issues. No podium finishes were achieved, and Lappi ended up sixth in the points. For the 2021 season, Lappi did not have a factory team driver seat. Yet, class victories in Rovaniemi in February and Portugal in May, along with a triumphant return to the Toyota WRC car in Jyväskylä in October, were rewarded. Lappi returned to Toyota’s factory team for the 2022 season, sharing the third car with Sebastien Ogier.

Throughout 2022, Lappi secured three podium finishes and made another significant move at the end of the year by switching from Toyota to Hyundai.

The 2023 season started poorly for Lappi, with dismal placements in the first three events. A remarkable improvement occurred after the Rally Mexico, as Lappi reached the podium in three consecutive events. However, the latter half of the season was less successful, with Lappi crashing three races. He finished the season sixth in the championship points.

In 2024, Lappi will compete in only about half of the season’s WRC events, driving Hyundai’s Rally1 car.