Explaining the Sami Pajari and Enni Mälkönen drama after Rally Japan WRC
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- Опубліковано 10 гру 2024
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Additional footage courtesy of WRC Promoter and Red Bull Content Pool
As a former co-driver, I’m always disappointed when a co-driver is boned like this. I get it that, the driver is number #1 and that the co-driver lives in their shadow, but, it annoys me when they are treated as a disposable item. Like a set of tyres that are essential”They do way more than just call the notes - a machine could do that. It’s the coaching that is so important. Especially when the drivers are upset at something, the co-driver has to keep them calm them and focused on their driving.
If the co-driver makes too many wrong calls or as a small woman, she can’t change tyres € seen evidence of that) they don’t gel, then it’s best for both to go their separate ways.
@@axelknutt5065 I respect a lot co-drivers, actually more than drivers because I'm not afraid of driving fast but put me on the co-driver seat and I would be trembling.
Saying that, sports are more a meritocracy. If you were boned maybe you aren't good enough. And if the driver doesn't want you, do you want to stick around? If you truly believe on your skill, you know you would be successful either way. You are the one who puts the driver in #1 because if you didn't, you wouldn't mind to be boned by certain driver! You sound like you orbit around him, even though you, at the same time, think you are very important for a driver. I believe that, so... I think a good co-driver could be successful if he really has the minerals.
Just sounds like victim mentality. A driver could be boned too and certainly happened that co-drivers change drivers because they thought they could do better.
If you aren't good enough, you are disposable. If you didn't get the proper connections, you could be sacked, either if you are a driver or a co-driver.
That's life.
Do you ever thought that maybe she wasn't competent enough? Why would he keep her, if he thinks he could do better? He has the mentality of a champion and champions always want better! Do you even understand champions mentality?
I'm not saying he is right. Time will tell. Just saying that is pretty obvious he wanted better, or at least a more prepared and experienced co-driver.
You are absolutely right that co-drivers don't get nearly enough credit. They basically do everything in reality. The driver just drives, but the co-driver is managing almost every other part of their rally. The WRC should probably focus more on just how important they are to the success of the driver and team
@@hhistertheosis yeah, you’re right. The driver has to have total trust in the co-driver. If they say ‘flat 6 left over crest, that’s what the driver will do. I guess it’s like your girlfriend, if they cheat on you, the trust is gone forever.
And no, I don’t have/know the champions mentality … unfortunately.
But I did come up with another metaphor for co-drivers, they’re the drummer in a band, while the lead singer gets all the girls.
@@axelknutt5065Don't undersell, I'd say more like lead guitarist vs the lead singer, both need each other. At the end of the day, if it's not working as a unit for whatever reason, change is best but agreed, do it respectfully and with dignity for all parties, irrespective of the role they play. It's good humanity plus you never know whom you might need in the future.
What level were you co-driving at? Did you ever need to drive on a stage or in between stages?
@@DesertObserver491 ha, ha. We did swap once, in a local club rally - lasted one stage before we swapped back … not because of my driving, but he was an absolutely hopeless co-driver 😂
There is nothing wrong in changing a co-driver. Am I dissappointed? Yes. I really like her attitude and pure enjoyement.
I think Sami was pushed to this timing by Toyota. As you see they released their full driver lineup right after the rally. And obviously it would have been even more confusing to see the photos without Enni and no explanation.
Fair enough on making the change, won't be the first or last. Someone will likely have to lose their job for Enni to get another seat so it's a vicious circle in that sense. I think in general terms it would've been very positive to have Enni at the top table but Pajari is a heavily managed asset and for whatever reason him and his team want a change. They were a popular pair, what is clear is that his advisors maybe under estimated how much of that interest and popularity was down to Enni and how expendable she was. They also dropped the ball hugely with the timing and communication. I think Enni will find a nice home somewhere - very marketable, likeable and now a bit of a comeback story in the making. Hopefully they both do well next year. She sometimes looked a bit stifled by Sami's awkwardness so maybe a new face will be best for her in the long run.
Agree - terrible optics, but as you say we don’t know the full story. Perhaps her mechanic skills aren’t up to scratch or something like that, and he feels like he needs more than a pacenote reader in order to Will the Rally1 title.
There could be any number of reasons in reality. He said there had been "difficult moments", which could mean almost anything!
@ I’d still preferred for her to get at least a year in Rally1, but there might be personal differences. Overall a bad example of PR. I wish them both well all the same.
If I remember Colin and Derek were forced to split up. I can't remember the exact details because I don't have the book with the information in it anymore. That was why he teamed up with Nicky Grist
Yeah I think David Richards was involved in pushing it through. I'm sure I've heard Nicky talk about it in an interview
Sad is the right word. Very sad, i liked them driving together.
thx for the rollup.
According to rumors Ville Mannisenmäki is the co-driver most likely to replace Enni, but if that is the case, I don't think experience is the reason they stopped working together. Ville barely has experience on WRC rallies, I know this is a stretch, but MAYBE JUST MAYBE, we could see Jarmo Lehtinen replace Enni (Jarmo is my favorite Finnish co driver, him reading the notes just sound so beautiful, he lives rent free in my head 😅) , he has tons of experience on WRC rounds, but again, it could just be due to personal things going on.
I haven't heard much really. Someone like Lehtinen does make sense, but there's no telling. I guess it depends what they felt Enni was missing that someone else could bring
from what it seems, Pajari changes because he wants a more experienced person: from her reaction, I have to deduce that he wasn't very kind, and he treated her in an absolutely unfair way
Be that as it may, only the future will tell who is right 👋
How do contracts work in WRC?
Is the contract with the driver and he can decide who he brings in as a co-driver (like an employee of the driver)? Or are the contracts set up for them individual with the team? Or does the team have one contract for the pair as a whole?
@@WaechterDerNacht I'm not sure if they all do it the same way but, traditionally, the co-driver often had a contract with the driver rather than the team (I think that was part of the dispute with Neuville/Gilsoul). It's not always that way though. Nicky Grist has said that he always insisted that his contract was with the team so, if anything went wrong with the driver, he still had a position
@@maximumattackrallying Yes Co-drivers are always hired by the driver.
Good question. But either way, I'd imagine it's driver who has major say. At the end if they're not confident or trusting of their teammate, it's just not an optimal configuration to continue. Works both ways too, co-driver needs to be able to trust the driver too.
Pajari probably was instructed to get an experienced co-driver. Someone like Mikko Markkula.
Sami needs more experience in the car, to improve his driving. And usually co drivers payman is the driver, so as an employer he gets to make a call.
I'm not surprised somehow. You always could see a little awkwardness between them. Enni was always celebrating for herself, while Sami always was avoiding her. But it's his decision, he is the drver and he has the priority to feel comfortable, so no big deal.
It's overfuzzed this mess. Yes it is sad, for them as a team and for the progress of women taking a part of top rallying as a whole. But, it's strange how this became a question of ethics when switching Co-driver is a common standard operation. Like any professional field, constellations of different people and personas does not always match. Then you do something about it. The problem here was obviously the poor composition of Samis statements, and mainly Enni outing her disagreement. Badly timed, of course because of the Toyota press conference.
Definitely. Sami is entitled to go in a different direction but, as I said in the video, the issue was a PR one. The timing of the announcement wasn't good, and the wording definitely could have been better
@@maximumattackrallying definitely, makes you really wonder who managed this whole spectacle, i don't get the feeling it was done to TGR standards to say the least, yet again it had to be done before mondays press conference.
I'd guess the takeaway is that driver co-driver changes are natural. Just don't force it through a hasty post race announcement which makes for bad PR.
Are there any other top tier co-drivers available to replace Enni?
Some Finnish experts have been suggesting Pajari needs a co-driver who has experience from rally 1.
I really hope Janne Ferm is Sami Pajaris new co driver.
I just don't understand why there was no explanation given. It would have been exceedingly easy to give a simple, corporately vague answer (personality difference being the easiest). Instead pajari says he should have been more clear, and then proceeds to give no answer again! Why go to these lengths to maintain "secrecy"?
You just didn't understand what he said. It was very clear to me. He thinks she's not good enough. He just can't say that because it would be rude, but is heavily implied.
@hhistertheosis yeah but then doesn't he see the optics of it? She's been very marketable the whole year, has a decent fan base (especially for a codriver), this looks bad. And I'm dumb and maybe missed something but there has been a sizeable backlash.
@pinksunsets3079 you aren't dumb man. Don't be hard to yourself. Everyone have blind spots.
See it this way, marketability doesn't automatically bring you success, nor being popular... merit does. He probably saw something lacking on her behalf. Could be something like lack of mechanical skills, like the autor of this video said. Could be something on her character, like maybe she couldn't realise some problems she has, impeding her to evolve beyond the current capabilities. We don't know but it is clear he didn't think she's good enough. He's ambitious and to win you always want the best. Some changes had to be made in his view. Is quite simple. He needed something more for his rally1 adventure.
I think the only problem here was the terrible timing. Right before the Japan rally sounded harsh and kinda heartless. But she already knew, so even if he failed the optics in a PR sense, the person who mattered was already informed. It would be way worst if she found out by the media. So, this was a storm in a glass of water, to be fair!
@@hhistertheosis Enni has clearly stated that she is not comfortable with the publicity involved already at this level. Next step could perhaps to much hampering focus and mistake avoidance. A thought to consider.
@@theendgame7451 I didn't knew that. Thanks for the knowledge.
Yeah, it could be... but she still wants to go to rally1! I saw on her Instagram that she could go. And she was disappointed after getting the boot.
I'm missing something or she is just a complex character?
My man, love the channel, but please turn up the gain (volume) on your recordings!
You are so quiet, I need to crank the volume and then I am blasted when the next video comes on
Thank you for the feedback! I've been having some issues with sound recently for some reason. I'm wondering if my headphones suck 😂
Why change something that is working. Hope she finds another seat.
she had zero mechanical skills and couldnt help whit tire change.
There might be a good reason for this timing. Sami couldn't announce this before the Rally Japan because all the media attention could've affected their performance negatively. But he couldn't also wait because Toyota was going to announce their 2025 lineup on monday, and it would've raised lots of questions why Sami had no co-driver in the announcement like other drivers had. So I think he was forced to announce it on sunday, even though it was definitely not the best moment to announce things like that.
Of course I feel sorry for Enni and all the females in rallying world, but I also think Sami has a right to make decisions that are best for his career. He is very determined guy and has been building his career purposefully, so I think he has a very good reasons for this change. He could of course open up these reasons more, but maybe he just doesn't want to say any negative things about Enni?
People are saying that you shouldn't change a winning team, but Sami is now going up to a completely different league, and not also he has to up his game but he also needs a partner who can up her/his game as well. Maybe those three rallies with Rally1 car revealed something? Maybe Sami saw or felt something that made him feel uncomfortable going to full WRC-season with Enni? Rally1 car is a whole different beast and demands more from both driver and also co-driver. And also being Rally1-driver driving full season means more publicity, more PR etc. Is Enni's english good enough? Enni has also said she doesn't enjoy doing PR and interviews.
I think Enni may have been dropped simply because she did not seem to speak English very well and could not give media interviews. The times Colin of Dirt Fish spoke with her she just smiled and bobbed her head...never a complete sentence.
This is just apart of rally, i’m not sure why this is drama 😂 They were a cool combo, and Malkonen will be missed. But it doesn’t change whether or not i watch WRC.
Let's face it, if it was a male co-driver people wouldn't be madat all.
Toyota corporatism always affecting their racing, I guess they never understand
Could it be that Toyota had something to do with his decision
Why all this fuss, perhaps their sexual life, if there was any, doesn't "work" anymore. Why would he/she want to go to any details about that.
Agree ... She is a very beautiful and talented woman !!! But he's just a child for her . I hope she will find another co-driver sit somplace else .
Please dont lean to and from the camera all the time !
all this fuss because a pretty face. this wouldn't be news if the 45-year-old man was traded
Not sure I totally agree with that. As I said in the video, there was fallout when Neuville and Gilsoul split, so it does happen, though I do think the fact that Enni is female made some people ask some additional questions. There is no basis for that though as I see it, it's just people speculating
Lappi + Malkonen 2025 rally finland winners mark my workds
There is one problem. Lappi doesn't have a seat.
Does that mean Ferm is new co-driver of Pajari
A lot of yapping about absolutely nothing, just your box-standard personnel change.
gday mate you were to nice ,, Whats the reason ?? Is it presure from Toyota or is a a personal relatonship gone wrong,, She is a world class codriver, and if she had make a few mistakes, well thats just part of been a team. Is Sami a narcissist and cant accept that he also makes errors ... Please dig deeper because this split has a flow on effect which you havent covered on the FIA women in motorsport ..
She could start a Only Finns site. 😏
very difficult working with women under pressure.