Hyundai is considering employing a full-time driver for its third car in next year’s World Rally Championship, rather than the rotating cast of two, three or even four pedallers it has used for several years.
This season, Esapekka Lappi, Andreas Mikkelsen and Dani Sordo have shared Hyundai’s third i20 N Rally1 alongside full-time team-mates Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak.
Sordo has tackled rougher European gravel events, with Mikkelsen focusing on asphalt-based rallies in addition to Rally Poland where he has a strong record. Lappi has had a more varied program of loose-surface events.
Esapekka Lappi struggled to get going in Latvia, running last of the Hyundais for most of the rally despite having the best road position of the Alzenau-based trio
Lappi benefited from his advantageous starting position en route to victory in Sweden earlier this year, but the Finn was unable to make an impact from a similar position in Latvia.
Hyundai team principal Cyril Abiteboul has admitted that, in addition to setup woes, a lack of seat time may have contributed to Lappi’s travails, having not contested an event since the Safari Rally in March.
“I think where we also have a responsibility [is] in bringing EP, who has not driven for three months and a half since Kenya in this competitive landscape in WRC with the Rally1 car,” he told DirtFish in Latvia.
“I think it’s something that we are not doing anyone any favors. It’s a bit like bringing Andreas Mikkelsen Rally1 in Monte Carlo. I think that was not great and this one is not great either and I take responsibility for that.
“We were trying to content him [Lappi] because it’s a rally that he wanted to do. We had done the preparation with the national rally [in Lithuania] one week ago. But there is really nothing that can bring you up to speed with those cars, what this sport is about.”
Abiteboul suggested the team may alter its approach in 2025.
“I’m thinking about indeed what needs to be done – I think we are not spot on,” he admitted. “Probably I said that we were pretty good with the third-car plan. I think we are not spot on. There is something to do better for next year.”
If Hyundai does alter its policy and employs a third full-time driver next year there are plenty of candidates from within its current roster as well as younger drivers like Oliver Solberg and man-of-the-moment Mārtiņš Sesks. Potential changes to sporting regulations will also impact the decision.
“Frankly, I think we are at a point in time where we must be open-minded,” said Abiteboul. “If we have the capacity to secure car one and car two fairly quickly and announce a plan in relation to that, then it gives us a bit of time to reflect, also look what’s going on.
“One thing I’d like to know is whether there will be a change to the regulations, a change to the points scoring system, so that we make sure to do the right decision for next year.”
Thierry Neuville has repeatedly expressed frustration at part-time drivers with optimal road position dominating the top step of the podium in 2024
Hyundai’s long-running third-car policy has attracted criticism from some quarters in the past, as the likes of Sordo, Craig Breen and Sébastien Loeb rotated in the seat and gained road-order advantages.
The potential impact has lessened to an extent more recently, as Toyota also no longer runs three full-time drivers – though not entirely by choice, given reigning world champion Kalle Rovanperä’s decision to go part-time in 2024.
Toyota has entered both Rovanperä and Sébastien Ogier for both Rally Latvia and Rally Finland, prompting frustrated comments from Hyundai’s Neuville. As world championship leader, Neuville has opened the road on every rally since winning the season-opener at Monte Carlo. But he received little sympathy from his Toyota counterparts, given Hyundai’s own long-standing policy.
