Hi, friends!

I wrote about this many times in the last weeks but now it's official - Meeke is Toyota works driver and Lappi is Citroen's works driver. They just swap places. But Meeke was fired from Citroen after Rally Portugal because of numerous crashes. And that last one in Portugal was the scariest. He and his co-driver can be happy that they were alive after that shunt.

There was a video from Toyota World Rally Team's Twitter account where Meeke is already testing his new car for the new season - Toyota Yaris WRC. But there is a change at a co-driver's seat. Paul Nagle is not Meeke's co-driver anymore. Inmy mind there's a thought that this change is because of his new team boss Tommi Makinen and not Meeke himself.

Why to change a co-driver with who you drove to the biggest success in your career?! That's in my mind. Meeke didn't change his co-driver because of himself. New team made him do this kind of a change. Maybe it's a good tactic. Sometimes you have to make changes to progress better. Maybe that is what guys from Toyota think. Maybe they're right and maybe they are not.

Kris Meeke

Lappi finished his deal with Toyota and signed a two year contract with Citroen, the team that is lying last at the championship table. But they have Seb Ogier for the next season and Ogier is a five-times World Rally Champion at the moment. Maybe he can snatch a 6th title in this last two rallies of the season.

Esappeka Lappi with Toyota Yaris WRC

That question is wide open because he has two big rivals in Neuville and Tanak. This two guys have better cars then Ogier and therefore better chances for a title. But you never know with Ogier. He is an old fox now and he can come back from nowhere as he did in Waled. He came back and took a win when nobody believed in that. Tanak was leading but Ogier won after all. And only wins count.

So, we have two more seats filled. There is a gossip that Citroen will run only two cars next season with the 3rd car selected for some of the rounds. It's still unknown who will drive a 3rd car. All the options are open at the moment.

Now we have a seat available at M-Sport and they will take anyone with money and that can be Breen because his family is really wealthy. Or Ostberg who's family can also pay a seat for their son. It's really pity to have this situation where works teams are selling the seats to the rich privateers. In my mind that's awful.

What about Hyundai World Rally Team???

They have two drivers under the contract for the next season and they are Neuville and Mikkelsen. But this year's 3rd car participants Sordo and Paddon are still without a contract (gossip says different story for Sordo) and I heard that Sordo would be satisfied with 7 rallies contract (not revealed publicly).

Paddon has a bigger appetite and that's normal for a younger driver.

We will see in the following weeks how will this soap opera end...

Esappeka Lappi

Thanks for photos and video to WRC.com.