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Just like last year, and the year before, and the year before... ?

I've gotten the impression at times that Neuville felt threatened by Paddon's speed. And when Neuville feels insecure he tends to over-drive and make mistakes. So that may well be part of the issue....

Copied from Paddon's facebook post today:

Think he's referring to the rumours that Hyundai corporate brass will pull the pin on WRC if they don't get a title this year. They are only rumours though as far as I know.

IIRC he turned down a one-off drive for Sweden (maybe rumoured but not confirmed which round, it was a while ago!) when it was offered at the end of last year/start of this year. After the team...

At the end of 2018 he was offered one rally for 2019, which was rumoured to be Sweden (even though Finland or Aus would have made more sense) but I don't know if that was ever confirmed. It was a...

I just wonder if he's getting paid for it!

You're right on that - but things can change, especially with Hyundai team politics.

Funny how mknight blames road position/conditions/anything else when Mikkelsen is slower, but completely ignores it when he is faster. Been taking lessons from Ogier's PR!

Lets mention some of the...

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Ah yes I forgot about that - new workshop is in Cromwell isn't it? Much cheaper land than Wanaka and not far away. Maybe even at Highlands might make sense.

Even before the WRC team decision he said he had a few other projects happening this year too - while he wasn't planning to contest NZRC (nothing left to prove, just the enjoyment of driving the...

Its definitely a big factor - they've been a big supporter of his career, he's their top brand ambassador in NZ and those ties are likely to continue long after his WRC days are behind him so its a...

No podiums, but Paddon had podium pace there this year - he was 4th while holding back for most of the rally to ensure manufacturer points after Neuville and Mikkelsen both threw it off the road...

From his comments (though he wasn't so blunt) it wasn't him waiting, it was the team stringing him along with empty promises to delay things while they screwed him over behind the scenes.

I don't...

Most of his WRC tarmac results have been 5th-6th, so not competing for wins but still collecting points. Which I think isn't bad considering you can almost count on your fingers the number of tarmac...

Really? Thats the first time I've heard that explanation anywhere, did it come from a team source or just rumour? Not saying you're wrong, I might have just missed it but curious as I never heard it...

You can call it unlucky and maybe it was, but they knew the rough roads were going to be hard on the cars - his team-mate drove a strategic rally to look after the car and finished on the podium as a...

I don't think shareholders want titles if they come at the expense of the popularity and perceived integrity of the team ;)

2017 was a nightmare year for Paddon with all sorts of sh!t going on, thats public knowledge now and no secret.

5th-Ret(from 1st)-4th-4th-3rd-7th in 2018 is pretty consistent top 5 performance...

My thoughts too. Leading Portugal before crashing (which from memory was quite unlucky dodging a big rock on the line), taking it easy in Sardegna due to injuries (and terrible road position for the...

I got that from watching it live and the day highlights :rolleyes:. They showed a small spin in SS6 (maybe spin is the wrong word, more like a half spin and slide wide) and a problem with second gear...

In Sardegna the car broke after he had spun it twice and backed it into the bales, so that breakage might have been his fault. Can't say for sure though, maybe it would have happened anyway.

Added some extra comments to yours above.

Sordo has been driving his best in a long time, but I don't think Mikkelsen has been as good as the team expected him to be.

Finland is the first rally...

I agree, I assume they want Sordo at the Spanish-speaking rounds for marketing reasons rather than results.