New Zealand driver Hayden Paddon is returning to the World Rally Championship after an eight-year hiatus.
Hyundai Motorsport confirmed late on Friday that Paddon will share their third car with two other drivers in next year’s campaign and is confirmed to line up for the season-opening event – Rally Monte Carlo, starting on January 22.
The 38-year-old is already in France with long-time co-driver John Kennard and said he was thrilled to be back in the sport’s top flight since contesting Rally Australia in 2018.
“I’m very excited to be back with Hyundai Motorsport, eight years after our last event together in the FIA WRC,” he said.
“Hyundai is a brand I’m very proud of and loyal to after 12 years, and to now be stepping into a Rally1 car is very exciting.
“Our expectations are clear: to do the best job we can to support Hyundai, Thierry and Adrien in their respective championships, and making sure we are collecting as many manufacturers’ points as possible at the end of the weekend.
“I feel I am a very different driver compared to eight years ago, and the experience I have gained all around the world in different championships puts me in a good place to put that experience to use.”
The 38-year-old clinched eight WRC podiums and won Rally Argentina during a top-flight stint with Hyundai.
He has since claimed two European rally titles and several regional championships across the Asia-Pacific.
Hyundai confirmed its lineup after Ott Tänak’s move away from the championship.
Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux have been retained for full-time campaigns while duties for the third car will be split between Paddon, Esapekka Lappi and Dani Sordo.
Hyundai Motorsport WRC sporting director Andrew Wheatley said: “We’re delighted to confirm our line-up for the 2026 FIA WRC season, which will see Thierry and Adrien compete in every round with a trio of very experienced and competitive crews sharing our third entry.
“Bringing in Dani, EP and Hayden enables us to call upon their individual strengths to support our manufacturers’ title ambitions next year.
“We had a difficult decision to make – whether to opt for experience and consistency, or bring in a rising star and nurture them. However, we are in the last year of the Rally1 technical regulations and we believe the right path is to bring in drivers with knowledge of the car and the team.”
rnz.co.nz
