Lappi determined to let Fourmaux beat him – DirtFish

“Actually, everybody did an amazing job, you know, and got round, but I think EP was a little bit thinking, ‘this could be a bit challenging’.

“I think it’s exactly where he is. He knows his role and he knows what’s required from him and he did exactly what he was required to do.”

The similar goes for his efficiency over the weekend; his first WRC rally since September 2024.

“I think he did exactly what everybody thought he could potentially do,” Wheatley mentioned of Lappi.

“I think if we were a third of a second a kilometer faster in the car he would have been challenging to be on the podium. He did a fantastic job, jumped into the car, limited testing, did exactly what was required, understood exactly what was needed, not a scratch on the car, gave some good feedback to the team, helped us with the cold weather preparations, and Enni [Mälkönen] smiled whenever you looked at her, so it was a breath of fresh air through the team.

“And it’s great. I think what we’re seeing with EP is exactly where he wants to be. He doesn’t want to be fighting every weekend for a championship. He wants to come and enjoy his driving, feel like he can make a positive contribution to the team, and then go home and come back in a few weeks’ time.”

Lappi and co-driver Mälkönen shall be again for Safari Rally Kenya (March 12-15).