Be curious. Be bold. Become committed.
Be professional. Be adaptable. Become an asset.
Be determined. Be approachable. Become a World Rally Championship co-driver for Dani Sordo.
As with any emerging athlete, this is a tale of both intrigue and inspiration – but there’s something even more special about Patricia Sáiz. Her transition from knowing nothing about rallying to making her WRC debut in a factory Hyundai – in the space of just seven years – is remarkable.
She smiles: “My introduction to rallying was quite unexpected. At my previous job, a new colleague, Yadira de Diego, joined my department. She was a co-driver competing at regional and national level.
“I’ve always been a very curious person, I love learning and challenging myself with new things, and she really inspired me to give co-driving a try.”
Sáiz says she was “literally starting from zero”, and that’s no exaggeration.
“I knew absolutely nothing about the sport, I used to think that people who competed in rallies were either rich or famous!” she explains.
“I’ve always been very involved in motorsport and extreme sports, but strangely enough, I never had any direct contact with rallying, nor did I have anyone around me who was involved in that world.
Sáiz knew nothing about rallying until a colleague taught her about it on a coffee break
“Until I met Yadira, becoming a rally co-driver had never even crossed my mind. I remember that during our coffee breaks she started teaching me the very basics: what pacenotes were, how a time card worked, what a roadbook was,” Sáiz laughs.
“It started simply as a new personal challenge and something different I wanted to learn, but has now ended up becoming a huge part of my life.”
Together with Yadira, Sáiz found a driver who was also starting in rallying. They did two rallies in 2020 “and that was when I realized this was where I belonged”.
Things quickly accelerated.
Just three events into her co-driving career, Sáiz was sitting in an E36 BMW M3 alongside one of the top competitors in the Cantabrian Regional championship. The bug had bitten and wasn’t letting go.
Working tirelessly on herself to improve her craft, a gravel debut on Spain’s former WRC round – RallyRACC Catalunya – came in 2023 alongside Álex Español, with whom she also teamed up to represent Spain in the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup.
Sáiz’s career was gathering momentum, and then it exploded.
Sáiz gained international experience in the Opel electric cup, but a call from Sordo changed everything
“Dani was going to compete in the Rali Terras d’Aboboreira in Portugal, and Cándido Carrera was unable to join him. The opportunity then came for me to take the co-driver’s seat in the Hyundai i20 N Rally2.”
This was the turning point. Sordo – in the thick of a championship fight with good friend and former team-mate Kris Meeke – would not have picked Sáiz if he thought she wasn’t up to it. The stakes were too high.
“Although we are both from Cantabria, strangely enough, we didn’t know each other personally before then,” Sáiz says.
“Years earlier, we had competed at the same event in Cantabria, as he was taking part in the same rally that I was competing in, but we had practically no interaction. Our first professional contact came in 2025 for the Rali Terras d’Aboboreira.
“I remember that rally with so much affection. I still get goosebumps when I think about some of the moments from that weekend.
“It was a huge challenge for me. I had never competed on gravel in a Rally2 car and suddenly I was doing it alongside a driver of Dani’s caliber and experience, at a pace I had never experienced before.
“We adapted to each other very quickly and found a really good connection inside the car. We were fighting at the front throughout the rally and went into the final stage with everything still to play for against Kris Meeke. Unfortunately, a puncture meant we eventually finished second.
Second place with Portugal was a pinch-me moment, and the opening of a new door
“But what I remember from that moment goes far beyond the result. When we reached the finish of the final stage, I couldn’t stop myself from crying. And I wasn’t crying because of the puncture or because we hadn’t managed to win. I was crying because, for a moment, I suddenly became aware of where I was.
“I felt incredibly fortunate and proud of myself to be sitting in that seat at that moment, and to realize that I had managed to overcome what had been such a huge personal challenge for me.
“I still have this image in my mind of reaching the stop control, having my door opened and being able to hug Kris, Stuart [Loudon, Meeke’s co-driver], Dani’s parents and his friends. It was unforgettable for me.
“That rally also made me appreciate just how adaptable we have to be to develop as co-drivers.”
Any queries as to whether Sáiz had done the job were answered by Sordo asking her back for Ypres, where he drove a Porsche 992 Rally GT.
“I will always be enormously grateful to Dani for trusting me to take on challenges of that level,” Sáiz praises.
“Those two experiences marked a before and after in my life.”
The problem with reaching such a high level, though, is you’re no longer satisfied with less.
Just weeks after Rali Terras d'Aboboreira, Sáiz was back co-driving for Sordo - this time in a Porsche
Sáiz has continued to co-drive at a high level in Spain, this season partnering Surhayen Pernía in a Citroën C3 Rally2. But the goal is the WRC, and her rides with Sordo made her realize that perhaps this wasn’t so fanciful.
And then the Sardinia entry list was published. Alongside Sordo’s name was Sáiz’s.
Her very first start in the World Rally Championship will be in a Rally1 car, driven by a two-time winner in Sardinia on the last ever event for this generation of car. Talk about an introduction!
“That’s why I’m still processing the fact that I’ve made it here!” she laughs.
“Making my WRC debut would be incredible under any circumstances, but doing it alongside Dani and with Hyundai Motorsport makes it even more special.
“Of course there are nerves and a huge amount of respect for what this opportunity represents, but more than anything I feel incredibly excited and I can’t wait to get started.
“I’m trying to arrive as well prepared as possible so that, once the rally begins, I can forget about everything else, focus completely on my job and also enjoy something that I will probably remember for the rest of my life.”
Sáiz has already been working with Hyundai, including last week for the Sardinia PET
Sáiz has already had the chance to test with Sordo in the i20 N Rally1 on both gravel and Tarmac, giving her vital knowledge firstly of the car’s performance, but also the ergonomics so that there aren’t any surprises on rally day.
“In these cars, everything comes at you incredibly quickly,” she smiles. “As a co-driver, you have to be completely focused because there is practically no time for anything else.
“I have never experienced sensations like these in any other car. The speed, the performance and everything that happens inside the car is incredible.
“But it’s a huge advantage knowing that someone like Dani is behind the wheel. Having that absolute trust in the driver allows me to forget about everything else and focus 100% on my own job. I know he takes care of his side, and I have to take care of mine.”
While Sáiz dreams of making the podium and taking home a trophy, ensuring she “lives up to the trust Dani has placed in me” is the top priority.
“It’s my first WRC event and I know I’m going to learn an enormous amount during those days,” she explains. “I want to adapt quickly, improve kilometer by kilometer and be able to give Dani exactly what he needs from the co-driver’s seat.
“And, of course, if we can also bring a podium back home to Cantabria, it would be difficult to imagine a better way to finish my first WRC experience.”
A podium in Sardinia would be a dream, but isn't priority number one
At 27, Sáiz has time on her side as she bids to become fully professional. This weekend is a huge opportunity she appears more than ready to seize.
It comes as no surprise, then, to learn that her target is to become a co-driver at the highest level.
“I don’t want to see Sardinia simply as reaching a goal,” she reveals.
“I prefer to see it as another step in my career and, above all, as a huge opportunity to continue learning. I want to gain experience at this level, continue developing and prove that I can do my job well on some of the most demanding rallies in the world.
“I don’t know where the limit will be, but I do know that I want to keep working to find out!
“Seven years ago, I was using my coffee breaks at work to learn what a roadbook, a time card and pacenotes were. I knew practically nothing about this world and I could never have imagined where that curiosity would eventually take me.
“Now I’m preparing for my first World Rally Championship event alongside Dani and Hyundai Motorsport. When I think about it like that, I still find it difficult to believe.
A moment to remember forever, but not one to dwell on. This is just the beginning
“I’m incredibly grateful to all the drivers who have trusted me over these seven years, and to all the teams and people I’ve had the opportunity to work with. I have learned something from every one of them.
“Every driver, every car, every rally, every mistake, every good moment and every challenge have gradually shaped the co-driver I am today.
“And I think that is exactly why I’m approaching this opportunity with enormous excitement, but also with my feet firmly on the ground.”
Amidst the talk of the title fight, Adrien Fourmaux’s pursuit of a maiden WRC win and the battle to be top M-Sport Ford, Sáiz’s is a narrative that needs no rival. It’s just her, one big dream and a huge opportunity to prove what she’s capable of.
