Paddon at career "low" a year after maiden win

The Kiwi’s troubled start to the year continued in Argentina last week, when he rolled on the second stage in South America and then suffered mechanical issues with his Hyundai i20 for the next two days. He ended the event a distant and despondent sixth.

"Winning in Argentina last year was definitely the high point of my career," he said, "but this event is the opposite, it’s a real low point. We have some work to do now."

Paddon will use a two-day test in Sardinia to start making wholesale changes to his i20 in an effort to bring the car set-up closer to what he wants.

What Paddon needs is a car tailored to his driving style, which differs from that of teammate Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo.

"We’ve got a two-day test in Sardinia coming up," said Paddon, "and the team and the engineers are fully committed and focused on helping me get the car how I want it."

Paddon’s concerns lie at the rear of the i20. He added: "I drive the car a lot from the rear and that’s quite different to the other two guys.

"My style’s not as smooth as Thierry’s [Neuville], but we’ve spent time trying to adjust my driving style to match his and it hasn’t really worked – now we’re going to work more on the car.

"The team has got some good ideas that we can try at the test."

Team principal Michel Nandan backed Paddon’s return to form, saying: "I can understand how disappointed he is, but you have to consider that in every sport you have ups and downs.

"We will help him anyway to recover and get back to success."