M-Sport’s Adrien Fourmaux was in an exuberant mood.
That was fair enough. It was Saturday night on Rally Sweden, and the Frenchman had just completed what was arguably his best ever day in a rally car; holding off eight-time World Rally winner Elfyn Evans to maintain second in the overall standings ahead of the event’s final day.
In the media pen that evening, Colin Clark opened DirtFish’s interview with Fourmaux, commenting: “I’d have bet all my money on [Elfyn] catching you today, but it didn’t happen.”
Fourmaux grinned. He was going to enjoy this.
Fourmaux won his first stage of the season during his impressive Rally Sweden Saturday drive
“So you haven’t lost all your money?” he retorted, as if he was disappointed in this particular outcome, before engaging in a back-and-forth that left his interviewer very much on the back foot.
It was all in good spirit though, and the M-Sport driver was displaying all the confidence and slight cheekiness you’d expect from someone who knows they’re operating at the peak of their powers.
Less than 24 hours later, Fourmaux had sealed his first ever World Rally Championship podium, and in the process achieved a milestone that really put into perseverance just how far the Rally1-returnee had come since his first full WRC season; Fourmaux had now surpassed the championship points total from his disastrous 2022 campaign in just two rounds of this term.
That’s as clear of a sign of a driver’s progression as you’re ever likely to see.
After Rally Sweden had concluded, the Frenchman was in a more reflective frame of mind. As he spoke to DirtFish once again, the journey he’d taken to reach the WRC podium wasn’t lost on him. A question about the differences between the Fourmaux of two years ago and the Fourmaux of today prompted a rather honest admission.
“[There’s] a lot of difference,” he said. “We have been working on many different things, on myself, on how to approach the rally, how to build it, etc. But also, the confidence came back in 2023.
“So now we are really prepared to be in the Rally1. I think in 2022 it was just too early.”
It’s perhaps surprising to hear that Fourmaux feels that way, and indeed that he’s willing to share his fresh perspective so openly. What it shows is that the training program his M-Sport team put him on during 2023 has truly worked. The latest man to stand on a WRC podium has picked apart his past performances, and put himself back together as a stronger, wiser and more self-assured driver.
After a strong start to the season, Fourmaux has left the ghosts of 2022 firmly behind him
But despite that renewed confidence, M-Sport’s team leader isn’t getting carried away. His Sweden podium was a nice bonus, but the goals for 2024 remain unchanged.
“To be fair, I didn’t expect to get a podium before the second half of the season,” Fourmaux admitted. “So to be now on the podium after the second rally, it’s really good. But it doesn’t really change the aim of the season. I still [just] want to get the maximum from every rally.
“If [another podium] comes later, it comes later. But it was already a good step and I still want to keep my confidence after every rally and just build on it.”
