Hayden Paddon on the Monte Carlo Tragedy, Panic Attacks, and an Unlikely WRC Comeback

Hayden Paddon on the Monte Carlo Tragedy, Panic Attacks, and an Unlikely WRC Comeback

From The Dom Harvey Podcast by Dom Harvey

July 8, 2026 · 2h 2m

About this episode

Hayden Paddon discusses his experiences in motorsport, personal struggles with mental health, and the impact of a tragic accident.

This episode has been brought to you by the legends at Odoo. Try Odoo free for 15 days with no credit card required at https://www.odoo.com/r/xiz Odoo. All your business, on one platform. *** My guest today is Hayden Paddon- one of New Zealand’s greatest ever motorsport athletes. Hayden is a World Rally Championship winner, a seven-time New Zealand rally champion, a two-time European rally champion, and the first person from the Southern Hemisphere to ever win a WRC event. But this conversation is much more than just about driving cars at ridiculous speeds on gravel road. Hayden joined me fresh off a World Rally Championship podium finish in Croatia - something even he didn’t expect after eight years away from the top level of the sport. Hayden is incredibly open in this conversation. He talks about being bullied, struggling with his weight as a kid, his parents’ separation, depression as a teenager, anxiety, his complicated relationship with confidence, and the fact that he is driven more by fear of failure than by success. We also talk in depth about the 2017 Monte Carlo crash where a spectator lost his life. Hayden explains what happened, how it affected him, and what it was…

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Host: Dom Harvey

Guest: Hayden Paddon

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Places: Monte Carlo, Croatia

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