Hayden Paddon, Esapekka Lappi and Dani Sordo will share the third Hyundai i20 N Rally1 alongside Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux next season.
Ott Tänak’s decision to step away from the World Rally Championship for at least 2026 – announced on the eve of November’s Rally Japan – suddenly left Hyundai with a seat to fill.
While it was open to exploring all available options, it quickly became apparent the team was favoring experience over youth.
Sordo and Lappi both drove part-time for Hyundai in 2024 alongside Andreas Mikkelsen, so have recent experience of the i20 N Rally1. Paddon hasn’t made a top-level WRC start since losing his full-time Hyundai drive at the end of 2018.
All three drivers have remained active at the Rally2 level; Lappi drove a Škoda to the Finnish title this year, while Sordo defeated Kris Meeke in Portugal with an i20 N Rally2. Paddon won the Australian national title with an i20 N Rally2 and became European champion in the same car in both 2023 and 2024.
That means Hyundai is gaining three experienced drivers who’ve won six WRC events between them, and will support Neuville and Fourmaux in chasing the squad’s manufacturers’ title since 2020.
