After his Hyundai i20WRC burned to the ground when it ran off the road in Rally Portugal on May 20, Paddon's crew returned to its German base earlier than the rest of the team to begin work on a replacement.
The team impressively turned the job around in just seven working days.
"The boys did an amazing job building the new car,'' Paddon said.
"They had a spare bare shell but then everything needed sourced or made which was the big part of the job. I was able to get to the workshop a couple of times, and as much as I would have liked to be helping, in this environment it's best to leave to the experts.''
Paddon said on Facebook the hole that caused him and co-driver John Kennard to have their off-road excursion in Portugal "was not there in recce, first pass or on the stage last year.''
"We have reviewed everything but was one of those freak things.
"The hole started to develop after car 20 on the first pass and the cars at the back of the field were having difficulties with the hole on the first pass - but of course we didn't know this until later and a WRC car approached this hole with a lot more speed.''
Portugal was a low after the high of Paddon and Kennard's first WRC win in the previous round in Argentina but with their trademark determination, they have put that drama behind them as they make their third start on the narrow, rocky roads of Sardinia.
The event marks their second anniversary with Hyundai Motorsport and a year since their first WRC podium finish.
Paddon had a pre-event test in Sardinia, which he was positive about.
"We were able to clarify the problems from Portugal, but also find some small steps forward with other parts of the car - it's the best feeling I have had driving the New Generation i20 WRC. We are still learning and developing new set-ups with this car every time we drive it,'' he said.
Hosted in the coastal resort town of Alghero in the north-west of Sardinia, Italy's WRC round is a rough, rock-strewn gravel challenge that often favours a lower road position.
Temperatures can top 30degC and cause strain on engines, tyres, components and crews as the cockpits reach 50-plusdegC over a stage.
Paddon will start fourth on the road for today and tomorrow's long sets of special stages.
"This rally generally has a lot of sweeping for the earlier runners so being fourth on the road won't be as advantageous as we had last year [when Paddon and Kennard were 11th on the road.
"However, our main rivals are ahead of us on the road and we have to take advantage of that. Generally, grip levels are quite high on the second pass,'' Paddon said.
Rally Italia Sardegna is often a rally of attrition, as ruts and rocks form car-damaging hazards, especially during the repeat run of each stage.
The rally has eight tests today to the east of Alghero.
Tomorrow's six stages total a massive 177 competitive kilometres with two repeated runs on two 22km tests and the rally's longest stage of 44.26km.
The final day, Sunday, takes place just north of Alghero.
