The World Rally Championship may be coming to a close, with only one round left this season, but the driver market is currently at fever pitch.
Among those rumoured to be in the running for a seat in 2023 is New Zealand’s own Hayden Paddon, who could yet make a return to the factory Hyundai squad.
All this was brought about by a mass evacuation from the German-based Hyundai Motorsport team, who first sacked young gun Oliver Solberg, and then saw Ott Tanak walk out on the team with a year left on his lucrative contract.
Solberg’s axing was as much a surprise as Tanak’s was expected, but it leaves the former title winning team with some big decisions to be made before the opening round of the 2023 championship in January next year.
Even the team’s number one driver, Thierry Neuville, has weighed in on the topic by saying that he’d love Toyota’s Elfyn Evans in an i20 N Rally1 next year.
The problem is, Evans is contracted, but as we saw with Tanak, nothing is insurmountable, although those in the know reckon the Welshman is going nowhere.
There’s even been talk that Tanak could be headed for M-Sport and their current #1, Craig Breen, will go back to Hyundai, but until anything official comes out from either team, all that is just pure talk and, in my opinion, unlikely.
M-Sport/Ford have massive budget constraints and landing Tanak would be as much a coup as was the signing of Sebastien Ogier in 2017.
Back to Hyundai though, and what we do know is that they have two spots to fill, with the race for the number two car predicted to be between the favourite, Andreas Mikkelsen, and 43-year old Kris Meeke.
It’s the third car where local interest lies, however.
Dani Sordo is expected to contest up to eight rallies in another part-time role for Hyundai, with Hayden Paddon one of the real chances to share the car with him.
Sordo is widely known to have no interest in fast gravel rallies like Estonia and Finland – rallies that Paddon has excelled at previously. The Kiwi would love the chance to contest those rallies again in a top-line car.
“I’ve put my hand up, that’s for sure, but I’m not holding my breath,” Paddon said this week.
“In 2018 a shared driver situation put an end to my contract with the team, and while I didn’t agree with it then, I can see now that from a team perspective it can be a good thing.
“Doing only some of the events means you start the rallies with a good road position on gravel, which can certainly give you a much better chance of finishing in the top five.
“The job of the third car is not necessarily to win rallies, but to finish in the top five and score points for the team, and I think that I’m still more than capable of doing that.
“I’m driving better than ever and would love the chance,” he said.
When the decision will be made by the team is anyone’s guess, and totally out of Paddon’s control.
In the meantime, he’s concentrating on the grand final of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship in Coffs Harbour later this month, where he’ll drive his NZ-title winning Hyundai i20 AP4.
It will be another battle against Aussie champ Harry Bates, on roads made famous by Rally Australia in the 2010s.
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