Hyundai WRC grip problems can't be fixed until 2017 car arrives

Though Hyundai has won two rallies with Paddon and Thierry Neuville this year, it has struggled for pace on the first pass of gravel stages when grip is lower.

The New Generation i20 WRC then performs better on repeat loops when conditions are clearer.

Paddon said analysis of Rally Finland, where he finished just behind Neuville in fifth, suggested the problem was a fundamental issue with the current design.

"We looked at the data on the event and we changed springs and worked on the set-up, but it was still really frustrating - the grip just wasn't there," he said.

"In places like Argentina and Poland it wasn't so bad, the roads were a bit softer and there was generally an edge to the road that you could use to bounce off. In Finland there wasn't much we could do.

"It looks like this is a geometry thing, something we can't really sort out with this car.

"We're probably going to have to wait until the 2017 car to get to the bottom of this one."

Hyundai is the only WRC team running a new model for this year, with the rest of the field continuing with their existing cars prior to the major rule changes of 2017.

Though the initial hope was to bring the New Generation i20 into action during the 2015 season, its delayed arrival means it will ultimately only get one year of competitive use.