Esapekka Lappi did not want to comment on the abduction to Iltalehte.
Esapekka Lappi put Toyota up for sale. PDO
Until a week ago, it was thought that Toyota is in practice Esapekka Lapin the only option for the 2023 World Rally Championship season.
A lot has happened since then. Ott Tänak announced after the weekend’s Catalunya World Rally Championship that he will leave Hyundai after the current season. This announcement officially started the so-called “silly season”, because now rumors are floating over several drivers.
One of these drivers is Lappi, who drove seven World Cup rallies this year in Toyota’s third Rally1 car.
Lappi already announced earlier that the negotiations on the extension agreement with Toyota are well underway. Team manager Jari-Matti Latvala has on the other hand made it clear that Lappi is very strong in getting a new contract from the team.
Lappi himself threw more water into the rumor mill in a special way. Lapland added this week For sale on the Nettiauto.com service Toyota GR Yaris civilian car.
The first picture of the sales announcement shows the steering wheel, on which Lappi has placed his branded driving gloves.
This was quickly noted on social media and discussion forums, where the matter has been speculated. Will Lappi get the Yaris out of his garage in Pieksämäki because he has a new employer for next year?
No comment
This is what Lapland’s Toyota Yaris looks like, with only 2,700 kilometers driven. The price is 59,900 euros. Screenshot from Nettiauto.com
Lappi placed the driving gloves on the steering wheel. Screenshot from Nettiauto.com
The conclusion may have been hasty, but the timing was apt in itself.
Lapland is known for its humor, so it wouldn’t be entirely surprising if the person from Pieksämäk had deliberately put the game on sale at this time.
The most likely thing is that it was a pure coincidence.
The truth about whether Lappi has received a contract offer from Hyundai and whether the Yaris’ shunting is related to this pattern is not yet revealed at this stage.
Iltalehti tried to contact Lappi about the matter, but he did not want to comment on the matter right now.
MTV Urheilu reports based on his information on Wednesday that Lappi has received a contract offer from Hyundai. Having lost the brand championship to Toyota, Hyundai is now looking for two drivers for its team, because in addition to Tänak, also For Oliver Solberg there is no future in the team.
It would not be at all surprising that Lapland’s name would be found on Hyundai’s candidate list. There you can now find all the drivers who have experience in the main class of the World Championship and whose contract situation is not set in stone.
Iltalehti and Nettiauto belong to the Alma Media group.