On the face of it, Hayden Paddon’s fourth place at Rally Sardinia doesn’t seem like that big a deal, what with the successes that New Zealand and Australian motorsport drivers have had in recent weeks.
No fastest stage times, never in the top three, and outpaced by both his team-mates. It doesn’t make for great reading.
But the result goes far deeper than that, and in my eyes, is a major stepping stone in Hayden’s road to redemption as the WRC season reaches the mid-season break.
His approach in Italy appeared a lot more measured than it was in Portugal, where he again showed his unquestionable speed by setting fastest stage times and leading the rally.
That speed was, for some, quickly forgotten when he hit a culvert and retired from the event shortly afterwards.
Italy, on the other hand, saw him committed to finishing the rally and “not making any silly mistakes”, something he did in spades.
Road position was supposed to be in his favour on day one, but heavy rain soon put an end to that, and the subsequent early road position for days two and three meant that a podium finish was virtually out of the question.
In some ways, his team-mates, Thierry Neuville and Andreas Mikkelsen, had a lot more to prove in Italy.
Neuville is leading the championship and is clearly pushing his Hyundai i20 WRC to within an inch of its life, while Mikkelsen is still a little bit in no-man’s land – is he a championship contender, or still ‘on the verge’ and not quite there?
Paddon, on the other hand, is making do with a reduced 2018 program that makes it difficult to get into any rhythm, let alone have the confidence to push for fastest stage times every time the flag drops.
It’s widely known that the 2017 car didn’t suit his driving style, although the team have made big gains so far this year in getting the handling more to the Kiwi’s liking.
But will that be enough as the season progresses and as contract negotiations get into full swing?
Is Hayden doing enough to get the permanent third car over perennial second-place-getting Dani Sordo?
And what of the spare seat at Citroen?
The six week break between now and Rally Finland allows Hayden the chance to take stock, return home and set his sights on the second half of the season.
Whether his focus is on the remainder of 2018, or the possibilities that 2019 offers, remains to be seen.
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