Part-time contract looks best hope for Paddon

Hayden Paddon’s WRC future remains uncertain but he can rule out two possibilities.

As speculation continues around what the Kiwi driver’s

2019 season will look like, the offcontract Paddon has confirmed his hopes of a full-time drive are all but gone.

‘‘There’s not really the opportunities out there for that at the moment,’’ Paddon told on the eve of Kennards Hire Rally Australia.

Hyundai slashed Paddon’s

2018 schedule from full-time to just seven rallies following a disastrous 2017. He has been sharing a Hyundai i20 coupe with Spaniard Dani Sordo.

Negotiations are ongoing between Paddon’s management and the Hyundai Motorsport team, but the New Zealander is as much in the dark as anyone about his chances of being back in the WRC with Hyundai next year.

‘‘It’s not that I’m not telling people, I just don’t know. It’s out of our control at the moment,’’ Paddon said.

Rumours have linked Paddon with a move to rival team M-Sport but he has quashed that and is making no secret of his desire to remain at Hyundai.

‘‘To be honest it’s not something we’re looking at. For me, trying to stay with the brand is so, so important,’’ Paddon said.

‘‘Loyalty is very important to me so that’s something we’re trying to work on and trying to continue to build.’’

Paddon, who admits some of the rumours around what he is supposedly doing in 2019 have been amusing, has been with the team since 2014 and holds close ties to Hyundai New Zealand.

With World Championship contender Thierry Neuville signed until the end of the 2021 season and Andreas Mikkelsen until the end of 2019, just one seat is available at the three car Hyundai outfit.

The most likely scenario for Paddon is the status quo – another split season with Sordo but it is far from confirmed.

Sordo is also off-contract with Hyundai but is being widely tipped to be re-signed on a split schedule for half of the season – opening the door for Paddon to compete in the other seven rallies as the WRC moves from a 13 round schedule to 14 in 2019.

Sordo – who has already contested seven rallies after the pair both drove in Portugal – has two podium finishes to Paddon’s one.

* Mat Kermeen travelled to Coffs Harbour with assistance from WRC.