here's the info on why they don't paddle shifters

Why Rally Cars Avoid Paddle Shifters:
Extreme Steering Angles:
Rally drivers constantly perform massive steering lock-to-lock turns and aggressive counter-steering to slide through loose gravel, snow, and tight hairpins

Lost Paddle Location:
If the steering wheel is upside down or turned 360 degrees, paddle shifters attached to the wheel move out of position, making it impossible to find the correct upshift or downshift paddle

Regulatory and Cost Controls:
Governing bodies like the FIA often restrict expensive, complex electro-hydraulic paddle-shift systems in certain rally categories (like WRC Rally1) to cut down development costs and enforce mechanical simplicity

Why Sequential Levers Work Best in Rally:
Fixed Position:
A physical sequential stick stays in the exact same spot next to the driver regardless of how much the steering wheel is spinning

Tactile Feedback:
The physical push-forward (downshift) and pull-back (upshift) motion gives a rugged, reliable mechanical connection that handles violent impacts and rough terrain

Quick Recovery:
If a rally car spins out and ends up facing backwards, a physical floor or dash-mounted lever allows the driver to quickly find neutral or reverse without hunting for disoriented wheel paddles

I recommend this video: "The absolute insanity of Group B rally."
It explains how rallying originated, how things got out of hand, and how better rules and organization were subsequently established.
Greetings from the Netherlands.

The helicopter that follows cars in WRC rallies is used for safety reasons. In the event of an accident, it ensures that emergency services are immediately notified.

Ken Block was NOT a decorated Rally driver,  he was a rallycross driver and thats a different sport altogether

If you are from USA, best rally-like car that works as everyday drive is Toyota Corolla GR. All-Wheel Drive, 1.6L turbocharged 3-cylinder 300hp, automatic, year 2023 or there is brand new now. Basic model for 42k.

Rally rules. 1.6-liter 4-cylinder, 300 hp AWD  5 speed sequestiol transmission. Homologated chassis.  That is a WRC-spec R5 Car.

They dont use paddle shifters because the extreme steering angles would make it hard to tell between up and down shifts thats why they use the push pull method

There ware cars whit padle shifter (Loeb whit his citroen was stationary padle )  but what i think there is some kind of rule that FIA present to standardize shifters for everybody

I'm old enough I've driven some of the street version of them: Ford Escort Cosworth, Lancia Delta, Honda Civic-R.
Also I owned a VW Golf GTI and  Peugeot 206 16v.
Amazing and scary rides through "snake-tracks" to remember!!!
I'm a lucky man!

FIA= Federation International du Automobil or International Car Club, they conduct most racing worldwide not just Rally.

Being crazy at times is part of the European freedom - if we get hurt, we wake up in a free hospital and have paid sick leave xD

mecanic shifters are more durebel can take more damage then electronic auto shift paddels, its no rally tracks its normal roads and dirt roads closed for  public  during race. they cant go out practis the stage as WRC  is held all over the world in difrent countrys so they would need to travel to 14 difrent countrys just to practis

WRC is coming to America this season.

Depends in witch class you are

bonjour. le rallye se fait sur des routes publiques : pas sur circuit. les gens ont le droit d'être à pied sur la route mais c'est à leur risque et péril.
les routes sont fermées pendant les épreuves de rallye.

FIA is an abbreviation for Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile. It is a crown international organisation that regulates automotive sports. And there are no closed rally tracks; rally stages are driven on public roads that rarely repeat! The roads they do not know, because they get the stage maps a couple of days before the race... So the driver and his co-driver get a chance to drive through the stage (sometimes not even on a closed road, but with normal traffic), not to practice, but to survey the unknown road and make notes about every turn, straight, and bend, in order to know what follows next when they do go flat out....  They basically drive "blind" on the roads; they - except for the notes they made  - practically don't know, let alone "know by heart" like the F1 drivers know their closed F1 circuits!!! And that's what makes them the best drivers in the world! Driving 200 mph on an unfamiliar, narrow, gravel or snowy road, lined with trees on both sides, takes some serious skill and a set of big balls... 😉

You don't want to drive Audi Quattro... If you talking about Quattro from Group B - even professional drivers scare that car...

The amount steering rally drivers do? Paddle shifters are a big no no.

This pubic roads so you cant block them for practice all the time.

Sorry, but the USA can't produce drivers like these.