Analysis
Lappi's Hyundai future uncertain after Chile struggle
Finnish driver Esapekka Lappi's WRC prospects with Hyundai are under scrutiny following his challenging Rally Chile performance.
Hyundai Motorsport driver Esapekka Lappi faces an uncertain future with the team after a difficult Rally Chile. The Finnish driver finished sixth, but his performance drew a candid admission of dissatisfaction. Lappi's comments to RallyJournal.com indicated his contract with the team may be nearing its end.
Lappi's Chile Struggles
Lappi, competing in Hyundai’s third car, struggled to match the frontrunners' pace throughout the event. He attributed this to a lack of preparation. His previous Rally1 outing was at Rally Finland, where he retired. Lappi did not complete any testing before Rally Chile, hindering his confidence with the car.
On Friday, Lappi lost significant ground to the leaders, finishing the day over two minutes adrift. He described the conditions and his confidence issues as making the task "almost impossible." Lappi ultimately finished the rally, collecting points, but expressed relief that the event was over. "I’m glad it’s over," Lappi told RallyJournal.com. "All in all, we finished the rally without any problems – no drama, no punctures. So we collected some points. But for sure, like everyone knows, the weekend was too difficult and challenging for me."
Improved Sunday Pace
Despite the overall deficit, Lappi showed improved pace on Sunday. He noted a slightly less favourable road position, but found some enjoyment in the final stages. "I actually managed to enjoy a couple of stages. I really was the boss of the car. The car was not the boss anymore, so I was controlling it fully and enjoying it. So that was good," he remarked to RallyJournal.com.
Contractual Implications
RallyJournal.com reported that Rally Chile was likely Lappi’s final event as a Hyundai factory driver. This unconfirmed report follows his challenging season. Lappi currently sits sixth in the WRC Drivers' standings with 25 points. This is significantly behind the championship leader Elfyn Evans, who has 201 points, and fellow Finn Kalle Rovanperä with 171 points.
Upcoming Commitments
Lappi will next compete in the final round of the Finnish Rally Championship. This event will take place in Porvoo next week. His focus will now shift to a domestic rally, with his international commitments for 2027 remaining unconfirmed.
Status And Sources
This story is labelled Analysis, which means this is our reading of facts that are already established. The rules behind those labels are in the editorial policy, and the desk that published it is Sanni Koskela.
Written from the following reporting. Each link goes to the newsroom's own page, not to an aggregator:
- RallyJournalrallyjournal.com
