Silly Season 2025

[trykmann]

It's time!

What do we know so far?

Toyota
Kalle Rovanperä
Takamoto Katsuta

Hyundai
Ott Tänak

[skarderud]

Toyota was interrested in 3 youngsters, was it pajari, Solberg and sesks?

https://rallyjournal.com/jari-...e-i...-teams-sights/

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[macebig]

I will risk a prediction. If one of the Hyundai drivers wins the championship,the other will leave the team. Provided of course Hyundai continues for 2025...

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Abiteboul said Hyundai are considering changing to a full-time 3rd driver from next season....

https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/hyund...driver-policy/

This also depends on any new points system, but if they go ahead, who would be the best choice ?

[mknight]

Abiteboul said Hyundai are considering changing to a full-time 3rd driver from next season....

https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/hyund...driver-policy/

This also depends on any new points system, but if they go ahead, who would be the best choice ?

I read this as an internal Hyundai policy topic.

Abiteoul kept Lappi in the team after disastrous second half of last year against the wishes of other people at Hyundai. (Lappi's words)

Now Lappi did extremely poorly after 5 months break. While in Sweden the road position in a snowstorm gave him the win, in Poland road position have Mikkelsen an advantage and Ogier and Rovanpera have been benefiting from it on almost all their starts.

Abiteoul is trying to diffuse the issue with the last rally by trying to point to something else.

[CeskyOndra]

Abiteboul said Hyundai are considering changing to a full-time 3rd driver from next season....

https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/hyund...driver-policy/

This also depends on any new points system, but if they go ahead, who would be the best choice ?

Fourmaux would be the best choice. Both Lappi and Mikkelsen are struggling on tarmac and aren't so consistent.

[skarderud]

Fourmaux would be the best choice. Both Lappi and Mikkelsen are struggling on tarmac and aren't so consistent.

They have to hire Loeb! Oh wait, he eighter couldn't drive the Hyundai on tarmac.

Its not the existing drivers that are the problem, its the car.

I don't see Fourmaux change seat, lots of uncertain future in Hyundai, why would Hyundai pay M-sport for a driver for maybe a year or two?
If, then they have future plans.

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[Dimitris]

I don't see any of the drivers sharing the 3rd Hyundai car getting a full time seat, and I can't see a rookie getting in either.

I think Fourmaux could be an interesting prospect, but at the same time, why go to Hyundai if their future is uncertain?

[CeskyOndra]

They have to hire Loeb! Oh wait, he eighter couldn't drive the Hyundai on tarmac.

Its not the existing drivers that are the problem, its the car.

I don't see Fourmaux change seat, lots of uncertain future in Hyundai, why would Hyundai pay M-sport for a driver for maybe a year or two?
If, then they have future plans.

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Yeah, the car is just hard to drive on tarmac, only Neuville can do it. This makes me think that Hyundai has no competitive 3rd driver (and maybe even Ott..) on two last tarmac rounds very important for championship.

[deephouse]

I would go for Sordo. He is complete everywhere. Or go a completely different direction and hire some youngster but that turns out to be a pretty bad decision in the past. I don't know what's with Lappi, but he is nothing after that ''Sweden win''. And that rare competitiveness of Mikkelsen isn't enough (and he always fucked that up too). There is Suninen also, but he was tricked so many times by Hyundai, that I wonder what he is doing there. Lindholm, nah. Either Hyundai isn't serious about training youngsters or he isn't everywhere. There is one guy who I think should be included in consideration. It's silly how they are not seeing Paddon at all. Of youngsters they have Solberg (he had a chance with them before), Pajari (except if Toyota holds him with some clause), Sesks, Gryazin,...

Toyota will go with the same, sure, they will not get rid of Katsuta, after they invested in him so much time and effort (and he is a Japanese ambassador).

M-Sport will maybe replace Munster with Sesks, except that the Greek guy will not let them. Maybe give him Rally2 Fiesta for one season and bring Sesks up. In the past, that way, they did very well. Tanak, Evans, Fourmaux