Paddon: Rally Argentina is a mental test

Hayden Paddon believes being able to mentally switch on and off between rally stages will be the key to success for Rally Argentina.

The New Zealand-born rally driver is expecting a tough challenge from the South American event, saying the short sprint stages will be equally as difficult as the longer touring legs.

"It's really no different if you're doing a five or 50 km stage," Paddon said. "The same preparation and mental approach goes for both. But the key in Argentina with the small number of competitive stages and long touring stages will be switching on and off mentally during the long gaps between stages."

Paddon has contested the Argentina rally just once before, placing ninth while racing for New Zealand World Rally team in 2011, but says the event has changed a huge amount since his last visit.

"We were here once before four years ago and now, none of the stages are the same," he said. "But any experience is good and we will draw on that as much as we can.

"Argentina is going to be a very rough rally this year. There has been a lot of rain and road damage in the past few weeks. So the objective is to set a consistent pace and try and avoid problems. If we can do that, then we hope we can finish well within the top eight."

The 28-year-old is set to continue in his Hyundai i20 WRC for the Hyundai Mobis World Rally team after joining fellow manufacturer drivers Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo for a mid-season test in Portugal.

"I was really happy with what we achieved with the test, but of course the proof is always once we get on-event," Paddon explained. "We worked on two key aspects. One related to the set-up direction we went for in Mexico. While it felt good and was driver-friendly, it did not produce the grip and traction that we needed.

"Secondly, we have closely identified the key areas where my driving differs from our team-mates, and we are trying to adapt some of that."