Adrien Fourmaux has accepted he may have to drive a Rally2 car in 2027, but is keen to explore top-class World Rally Championship options for 2028 and 2029.
Fourmaux is yet to win a round of the WRC but has established himself as one of the championship’s top drivers, with 10 podiums and 50 stage wins to date.
Like Hyundai team-mate Thierry Neuville, Fourmaux’s plans for next season are unclear because Hyundai’s future is also uncertain.
However, unlike Neuville, who told DirtFish he has “no clue” what he’ll do next year, Fourmaux’s priority is beyond 2027 and instead on 2028 and 2029.
“If I would need to do one year in Rally2 but in ’28 be back in WRC27, I would be pleased,” Fourmaux told DirtFish.
“I need to see all the opportunities, that’s clear. More than ’27, I’m looking for ’28 and ’29.
“If manufacturers come back with WRC27 and they have a proper program, I would be very clear that I want to have it. That’s clear, yeah,” he added.
Fourmaux’s preferred scenario is not to drop back to Rally2 at all, but Hyundai will not construct a WRC27 car for the 2027 season at least.
Dropping back a category would not kill his career. Plenty of drivers – including Fourmaux himself in 2023 – have made that backward step and then returned to the top.
“That’s a bad thing [to take a backward step],” Fourmaux said, “but if you take the story in the past, like [Sébstien] Ogier went back to Super 2000 one year in 2012, then he went back in 2013 and won the championship.
Fourmaux doesn't want to wave goodbye to Rally1, but is content if that's due to circumstance rather than himself
“If it’s only one year, and on top of that you have the development of the WRC27, for me that’s OK, because then you will be flat out on development of the car,” the Frenchman reiterated.
“If it’s just doing Rally2, yes, that’s a very huge disappointment.”
Asked if the situation frustrates him, Fourmaux said, “For sure,” because “I think I deserve to stay in Rally1”.
He added: “But that’s rally, unfortunately. As long as it’s not myself forcing myself to go back in Rally2, and it’s just because of the sport, that’s OK. At least I cannot blame myself.”
