For years, many have bemoaned motorsport’s lack of fresh, new talent. The World Rally Championship is just one example where the careers of the establishment are forever extending, and the stars of tomorrow are waiting too long for a look-in.
But the exploits of Mārtiņš Sesks and Sami Pajari are causing something of an attitude shift. It’s the same over in Formula 1.
This week’s confirmation that Gabriel Bortoleto will partner Nico Hülkenberg at the soon-to-be Audi Sauber F1 team came at the expense of Valtteri Bottas – an experienced hand with 10 grand prix wins and almost 250 starts.
And he’s not the only one. Ollie Bearman is in at Haas instead of nine-season veteran Kevin Magnussen, teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli was chosen over Carlos Sainz Jr for a Mercedes drive and Jack Doohan was seen as Alpine’s best bet (over the likes of Bottas) to replace the Haas-bound Esteban Ocon.
To convert that into numbers, four rookies will race in the 2025 season.
There’s arguably never been a scarier time to be an experienced driver – particularly one without a world championship to their name. Even if your level is deceptively high.
Suninen's WRC2 efforts in 2024 have given him little to shout about
Like Bottas, fellow Finn Teemu Suninen’s 2024 campaign has been greater than the sum of its parts. Zero points from five WRC2 starts does Suninen a major injustice – and anyone with half an eye on the WRC knows that.
But just as Bottas has found, when competing with a car, or in a scenario, that’s very hard to flourish in, it’s really hard to get noticed. As a by-product, the memories of previous strong performances evaporate – in Suninen’s case, his four Rally1 outings with Hyundai in 2023 – and you’re left with a driver facing a difficult future despite still driving at a level higher than most give him credit for.
“Yeah, I feel the same,” Suninen tells DirtFish.
“I have had a question what I could have liked done differently? Or how fast should I have driven? For me, [what has happened] this year has proved that I did well.
“OK, Sesks did well in Poland and Latvia, like actually super well. I must take the hat off – he did well. But still for me this year proved that I did well also last year.”
Suninen completed a four-round Rally1 stint with Hyundai at last year's Central European Rally
To recap, Suninen had opportunities in Estonia, Finland, Central Europe and Chile last year and recorded a fourth, fifth and sixth place finish. He had been running as the lead Hyundai in second in Chile, but nibbled a corner he shouldn’t have on the penultimate stage, damaged his car and was forced to retire.
With Dani Sordo retained as a part-time driver and compatriot Esapekka Lappi stepping back to such status, Suninen’s issue appeared to be his preference for gravel over asphalt. Andreas Mikkelsen was instead recruited to be Hyundai’s Tarmac driver – despite not being a massive asphalt man himself – and Suninen was dropped back to drive an i20 N Rally2 in WRC2.
“I’ve been even thinking if I was too honest with the team in some scenarios, [that] Tarmac is my weakness,” Suninen adds.
“Central Europe was a difficult rally for me as I didn’t feel comfortable with the car. And then I had like a one-year break from Tarmac driving. Still, I was able to set second fastest times and be in the fight, be the third driver in the car and fight with Taka who is not doing badly on Tarmac especially!
“But that’s how life goes sometimes.”
There are no feelings of resentment from Suninen; simply an eye on the future. But carving out that future is a lot easier said than done.
As already mentioned, there are a swathe of young drivers who look to be attractive options for the future. Suninen is hardly old at 30 years of age, but perhaps doesn’t offer the same temptation to teams as other lesser experienced options might. But on the flip side, Suninen’s experience of driving and developing both World Rally and Rally1 cars is a huge asset.
This year was difficult, but it made me even stronger. So I feel that I could do still even better resultsTeemu Suninen
The trouble is, he is coming off the back of what he admits was “a tricky season”.
“But personally, I feel that I’m still, like from the skill side, in let’s say the best moment of the career,” he says.
“Last year I was strong already, I was able to show good pace. This year was difficult, but it made me even stronger. So I feel that I could do still even better results than the year before.
“But the fact is if I can get anywhere or not.”
Speculation has emerged that Suninen could be on for a WRC2 program with Toyota next season, as the Finn was seen testing a GR Yaris Rally2 in France last month. But Suninen says, in this case, two plus two is equalling five.
“I think it’s just people’s imagination what can happen,” he states. “But yeah, I don’t want to comment on that topic by any words more than I did now.”
Might Suninen's future lie out of Hyundai blue?
Asked if he is confident he will have a WRC program next year, Suninen says he’s not because “last year we had agreed it and I didn’t have it, so this year I don’t want to say anything before I’m in the car”.
But competing in the WRC absolutely remains his intention.
“Yes, it’s still something that I want to do and I feel that I would have a place there,” Suninen confirms.
“I would have something to prove for the people and soon the older generation is getting to the age that they start retiring and at least then I should have a place there.
“But it will be, let’s say, after two years or something. And who knows where rallying is then.”
All Suninen can do now, sadly, is wait.
But that strategy didn’t work out too badly for the man who ultimately ended up replacing him at Hyundai.
