Silly Season 2026

[WRCStan]

Sad day for the sport honestly, really hope that 3rd seat at Hyundai will be something who has yet to sample WRC top class and if not, for the love of all things holly, can we have Paddon back please???

At least you're confident there will be a 3rd seat.

[Odd]

If it is true that Hyundai wanted to knock Tänak out cold with bricks of cash then one could assume that they still want to continue rallying.

[becher]

If it is true that Hyundai wanted to knock Tänak out cold with bricks of cash then one could assume that they still want to continue rallying.

Stuff like that used to give me hope for the team but this season it was clear that the team got sized down and there was a lack of investment.

Neuville already alluded to it this weekend that the technical trouble are not just bad luck.

Those conflicting signals tell me the whole team is in a similar situation as Alpine is in F1. Competent people held back by corporate indecision and utter missmanagement by the people at Hyundai it self not the people in the team.

Anyway hopefully there will be a third car, who will be in it doesn't really matter to me but I doubt it will be Rossel, he wouldn't make sense alongside Fourmaux. Neither would Gryazin in my opinion, but I believe he would have enough funding?

[mknight]

On second thought I also find it strange that Gryazin gets mentioned, for multiple reasons.

- He is neither youth nor experienced (in top tier)
- He got more stable last years but also lost a lot of speed
- His origin and the origin of his funding are a hidden PR bomb

Similarly I find it strange that somebody mentions Meeke. Paddon is also a long shot but would be interesting.

I expect at least two different drivers sharing the car, simply because there is no clean pick.
I also expect at least one to be experienced.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Sad day for the sport honestly, really hope that 3rd seat at Hyundai will be something who has yet to sample WRC top class and if not, for the love of all things holy, can we have Paddon back please???

Definitely this. Paddon is the perfect choice with his huge experience. And even for 2027 in the i20 Rally2 car as he's the only one who's made it a winner (in ERC x2).

[AndersX]

Definitely this. Paddon is the perfect choice with his huge experience. And even for 2027 in the i20 Rally2 car as he's the only one who's made it a winner (in ERC x2).

Logic votes -Paddon, he deserves another chance, but Hyundai is Hyundai - who knows their logic.

[saco0o]

paddon last years were great
2 nz titles, 2 ERC titles and he just won the australian championship title - today!
theres this reaaaally small amount of fans telling him to go do the american championship next year...
but yeah, for us fans paddon back in wrc would be awesome! not sure he is interested tho.
maybe 2027

[denkimi]

On second thought I also find it strange that Gryazin gets mentioned, for multiple reasons.

- He is neither youth nor experienced (in top tier)
- He got more stable last years but also lost a lot of speed
- His origin and the origin of his funding are a hidden PR bomb

Similarly I find it strange that somebody mentions Meeke. Paddon is also a long shot but would be interesting.

I expect at least two different drivers sharing the car, simply because there is no clean pick.
I also expect at least one to be experienced.

Gryazin is the best available rc2 driver after solberg. The only thing that has held him back for many year now is him being russian.

Definitely this. Paddon is the perfect choice with his huge experience. And even for 2027 in the i20 Rally2 car as he's the only one who's made it a winner (in ERC x2).

Paddon's last wrc season was 2018, and even then only partially. He is done for it. He just doesn't have the experience needed anymore. He has never driven a new rc1 car, or done a wrc recce for 8 years.

People can dream, but some dream are just stupid.

[WRCStan]

Gryazin presumably also brings budget. If Hyundai do go the M-Sport route running out of Belgium, it's a good shout.

[giu canbera]

Gryazin (and Rossell) signed with Lancia... no?
Bad timming