Hayden Paddon’s return to the global rally spotlight has gathered serious momentum following a commanding performance in France and the confirmation of his long-awaited comeback to the World Rally Championship with Hyundai Motorsport.
The New Zealand star impressed at the 2025 Rallye National Hivernal du Dévoluy, where he and stand-in co-driver Jack Morton steered their Hyundai i20 N Rally2 to a dominant Rally2 class victory and a podium finish outright against more powerful Rally1 machinery.
Day 1 –
SS1: Agnières-en-Dévoluy (10.18 km)
Paddon made a statement straight away, winning the opening test in 6:15.4. He immediately opened a 4.1-second advantage over Mattéo Chatillon and Maxence Cornuau (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2), establishing early authority in the Rally2 class.
SS2: La Bachassette 1 (24.25 km)
Extending his momentum, Paddon delivered another fastest time of 12:59.3. The gap grew to 14.0 seconds as he showed confidence on freezing, technical roads.
SS3: La Bachassette 2 (24.25 km)
On the repeat run, Paddon remained in full control with a 13:22.8 stage win. Despite changing grip levels, he still pulled 10.9 seconds over his nearest Rally2 rival.
SS4: Saint-Disdier (10.25 km)
The first real challenge arrived with a slightly slower run through Saint-Disdier. Paddon finished third in class with a 6:36.8, ending the stage three seconds down on the outright pace set by Damien Oberti and Jean-François Gastinel.
Day 2 –
SS5: Les Gillardes 1 (13.28 km)
Paddon responded immediately, stopping the clocks at 8:08.3 to reclaim another stage victory. He beat Oberti by 3.7 seconds, reasserting his control over the Rally2 battle.
SS6: Mère-Eglise 1 (7.80 km)
This shorter test brought tighter margins. Paddon was third quickest with a 5:05.9, finishing 3.3 seconds behind stage winners Jonathan Hirschi and Charlène Greppin in the Citroën C3 Rally2.
SS7: Saint-Étienne-en-Dévoluy 1 (7.12 km)
Momentum was rebuilt quickly with a second-place finish on this stage. Paddon’s time of 4:40.5 left him just one second shy of Chatillon’s stage-winning pace.
SS8: Les Gillardes 2 (13.28 km)
Back on familiar roads, Paddon delivered again. His 8:08.2 was enough to beat Oberti by 5.9 seconds, further stretching his advantage.
SS9: Mère-Eglise 2 (7.80 km)
The second pass was another tight battle. Paddon placed second with a 4:53.5, finishing just 1.5 seconds away from Chatillon’s time.
SS10: Saint-Étienne-en-Dévoluy 2 (7.12 km)
Saving a strong finish for last, Paddon set the fastest time of the stage with a 4:23.9, beating Chatillon by 2.2 seconds and sealing the Rally2 class victory in style.
Rally2 victory and overall podium
Across the full distance, Paddon and Morton took six stage wins and controlled the Rally2 category, finishing 45.8 seconds clear of Chatillon and Cornuau. Third in class went to Damien Oberti and Jean-François Gastinel.
In the overall classification, Paddon’s Rally2 performance placed him third outright, finishing only behind two Rally1 crews — a major achievement against higher-spec machinery.
The French Alpine event doubled as an ideal winter test ahead of his World Rally Championship return, with valuable tyre testing and seat time across icy, evolving conditions.
Back in WRC: Paddon joins Hyundai’s 2026 Rally1 programme
Only days after his French success, Paddon’s return to rallying’s top tier was officially confirmed.
Hyundai Motorsport announced that the 38-year-old will drive their third Hyundai i20 N Rally1 on a part-time basis during the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship.
Paddon will rotate the seat with Esapekka Lappi and Dani Sordo, supporting full-season drivers Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux.
His first confirmed outing will be the iconic Rally Monte-Carlo in January, where he will reunite with long-time co-driver John Kennard.
The return marks Paddon’s first WRC appearance since Rally Australia in 2018. During his previous top-flight spell, he secured eight WRC podiums and claimed a breakthrough victory at Rally Argentina.
Since stepping away from full-time WRC competition, he has added two European rally titles and multiple regional championships across the Asia-Pacific to his resume.
Hyundai’s 2026 structure was confirmed following the departure of Ott Tänak, with the team opting for experience in the final season of the current Rally1 regulations.
Sporting director Andrew Wheatley said the experienced trio was chosen to maximise manufacturers’ points and provide consistency as the technical era reaches its conclusion.
Header Image: Paddon Racing Group
