The biggest victim of the WRC's closed door
Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hämäläinen won the World Rally Championship-2 this year. They will not be able to move up to Rally1 next year, as they have already won. Only nine of the 21 Formula 1 champions this century have graduated to the top class with a full-time seat the following year and some didn't even make it to F1.
Breaking into the WRC's upper echelons is now almost harder than winning the world championship itself.
Lindholm and Hämäläinen are the World Rally Championship champions in Rally2 class. They want to be World Championship drivers. They have won three WRC titles and 25 podiums in the last five years. Their total number of W Rally starts is zero. The team won the title in Japan. It is the second biggest prize in WCR. Lindholm believes it's not easy to get into the top tier.
There is a shortage of drivers in the WRC. Hyundai Motorsport has decided to focus on more experienced heads. Lindholm and Hämäläinen are trying to prove their ability. They are aiming to win the championship in 2023. They need to show their consistency. There are too few cars and teams in W Rally1. The number of seats is too low. It's a functional thing, but it's also a problem. In the future, the number will increase. If the experienced drivers want to change their careers, then the teams will need more cars.
Lindholm won the WRC2 Junior title in 2022. He was on the podium regularly and was second in the overall standings. Lindholm was overtaken by Chris Ingram at the season finale in Rally Japan. He will be the new WCR2 champion in 2020. His team-mate Chris is not sure about that. They didn't expect him to be champion at start of 2022, though. It's fair as they didn’t have him down.
Emil Lindholm won WRC2 this season. He is confident he can compete in Rally1 in selected events. Hämäläinen believes Lindholm is ready for hybrid racing. They have contested eight rallies on the 2023 calendar and scored points at five of them. They came 15th overall in the W Rally Championship. Lind Holman's main target is to win the championship. The WCR is a six rally championship with only six rallies that count.
Hämäläinen and Lindholm are aiming to win the WRC title next year. They are going to start in Sweden instead of Monte Carlo. Lindholm is one of four drivers trusted to develop the Fabia RS Rally2. He will drive it next season. He is not willing to discuss the full program for next years. His main target is to keep winning and gain more experience. The team is focusing on the rallies. It is possible he will get a Rally1 opportunity. But he is focused on winning the championship. Škoda Motorsport is planning to use the new Fabias RS rally car next time.
The new Fabia RS Rally2 has debuted, but supply issues remain. Lindholm and Hämäläinen would have been in the best seats in WRC if FIA had chosen the Rally1+ formula as the basis for Rally 1.
