Quote Originally Posted by mknight View Post
Throwing around numbers of starts is one thing, another is looking at each round. I would guess leadership is interested in getting best results.

Is Paddon a better choice on tarmac? Very doubtfull as he has never been fast on it and his 2017 speed on it is similar to Mikkelsen's this year.
So on the other rallies which ones would Paddon or Sordo do better? Definitely not Sordo in SW, GB or FIN, neither in AUS (both this and last year Mik has good speed).
In Turkey, Sar and Portugal he also had top pace this year as well as with other cars before.

So the real candidates are Mexico (where Paddon has not manage good result yet) and Argentina (where Paddon won in 2016), not many.
You continue to rely on statistics to support your logic. But statistics don't tell the full story. Paddon's goals for this season would have been determined by management prior to his sitting in the car for the first time in 2018. They would have had nothing whatsoever to do with winning stages or winning events. This last weekend has been the first opportunity he's had to go for the doctor and even then it was a measured drive to keep the car in the points and give the team the best chance at the title.
The less said about 2017 the better. The shenanigans that were going on in that team are well known in certain circles.
If you want to get an unimpeded impression of Paddon's actual speed you need to go back to 2015 & 2016 during which time he more than had the measure of both Mikkelsen and Sordo and on a par with Neuville.
Nandan knows that an on form Paddon is the key to them winning any title next year. He also knows that they owe him big time. The only question is whether he has the balls to make the right call.