Hyundai will aim for its first podium in Finland

Hyundai Motorsport has had a successful first part of the season as it leads the Manufacturers' Championship with 23 points ahead of M-Sport as well as first place in the Drivers ranking with Thierry Neuville which is 27 units ahead of Sébastien Ogier after having notably signed three victories including a last memorable success at the Rally from Sardinia.

The Korean manufacturer will obviously seek to increase its lead at the top of the rankings at the Rally Finland held from July 26 to 29, even if it has never yet managed to secure the podium in this event.

“Sardinia was an incredible weekend. We couldn't have asked for a better result before the summer break, recognizes the Championship leader who finished 2nd at the Rallye des 1000 Lacs in 2013. I'm ready to follow this trend for the second half of the year. Finland is one of the rallies that everyone is impatiently waiting for. It will be complicated this year to end the break by getting back behind the wheel directly. This will be the second time in a row where I will have to open the road. It's even more complicated as the speeds are very high, but I'm looking forward to the challenge. »

Hayden Paddon was able to get back into the swing of things by taking part in Rally Estonia a little earlier where he took part in his team's development testing. The New Zealander is still looking to secure his first podium in WRC This year.

“The Rally Finland is, in my opinion, the most impressive event of the year, recognizes the New Zealander who took 5th place in 2016. It's not just because of the roads, the jumps and the sheer speed but also because of the electric atmosphere. I hope we can put everything together to get a nice result. »

The WRC squad will be completed by Andreas Mikkelsen who came close to the podium at the Rally Finland in 2014. The Norwegian has so far only scored one podium, a 3rd place at the Rally Sweden.

“The Rally Finland is a magnificent event, it is probably the one that the drivers fear the most, but the victory is all the more beautiful, comments the Scandinavian. The grip level is very low and you therefore have to be confident with your car to go fast on the specials. We were disappointed not to have been able to show our potential in Sardinia and I hope that we will quickly find a good rhythm to attack hard and finish in a good place. »