M-Sport team principal Richard Millener says he has “total respect” for Adrien Fourmaux who “fully deserves” his chance with Hyundai in the 2025 World Rally Championship.
Earlier on Thursday morning, Hyundai confirmed that Fourmaux and co-driver Alexandre Coria would be driving a third i20 N Rally1 alongside reigning world champion Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak.
Fourmaux’s final event with M-Sport will be at this weekend’s Monza Rally, before he immediately joins Hyundai in preparation for the new season.
The Frenchman’s entire WRC career has been with M-Sport – first in the WRC2 class before he earned a shot in a World Rally Car in 2021.
That led to a full-time step up to the top class (now Rally1) for 2022, but a crash-strewn campaign led to Fourmaux being demoted to the Rally2 category for 2023.
Competing in WRC2, and winning the British Rally Championship, allowed him to regroup and bounce back a more mature and composed driver in 2024, where he exceeded expectations with five podium finishes and 11 stage wins in a Puma Rally1.
“I have been incredibly impressed with Adrien’s performances this year and he has truly shown himself to be one of the future stars of our sport,” said Malcolm Wilson, M-Sport chairman.
“Despite the challenges he has faced so far in his career, he has demonstrated a commendable level of grit and determination and comes away from every experience stronger than before.
“His partnership with Alex has helped to facilitate the growth we’ve seen in him and I believe they are an excellent pairing to take on this next phase of their careers together. They have been an integral part of the M-Sport team for many years now and will certainly be missed by everyone here. I look forward to seeing what the future brings for them.”
M-Sport team principal Millener credited Fourmaux and Coria’s determination to carve out their opportunity this season.
“It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Adrien and Alex over the last few years. It has been especially rewarding to watch and see their development over the last two years, growing into true professional athletes,” he said.
“Sharing the joy of the five podiums this year has been really special and I know that the whole team and myself will really miss not having them around.
“Finally, total respect to both of them – they have made this opportunity for themselves through hard work and determination and they fully deserve this next chapter of their story.”
Fourmaux waves goodbye to M-Sport after five seasons with the team
Fourmaux suggested that he may return to M-Sport later in his career.
“I came to M-Sport at the end of 2018 as a really young driver taking care of the new Rally2 as a mechanic, and ending up now with victories and a podium in all classifications. I’ve learned so much with the team, especially Malcolm who has always been taking care of my career and development,” he said.
“I drove an M-Sport Ford car for all of my career since 2017 and I owe a lot to the whole team. We’ve had some ups and downs, but we’ve always been a family who is dedicated to the most demanding sport in the world.
“Thank you to Malcolm and the whole team for all the memories we had together. This is not a goodbye, but a ‘see you next time’.”
