This time last year, you’d have been hard pressed to hear M-Sport Ford saying too many positive things about Adrien Fourmaux.
A massive accident on the Monte Carlo Rally, followed by another one in Croatia, meant there were even threats that the Frenchman would miss Rally Portugal.
That didn’t come to pass, but another accident in Sardinia and one more in Belgium proved particularly costly, as accident damage ruled Fourmaux out of the Acropolis and Rally New Zealand, while he didn’t make the trip to Japan either.
But this year, the tone’s changed.
Competing with a Fiesta Rally2 instead of a Puma Rally1, Fourmaux’s erased the accidents and although a few factors have prevented him from achieving the big results in WRC2 so far, M-Sport team principal Richard Millener is delighted with what he’s seeing.
“We’re very, very happy with him, his performance, his approach to everything,” Millener told DirtFish.
“Very, very sad that not even really a mechanical issue with the car, but obviously a rock took the alternator belt off [in México and cost us second], which is a bit of luck of the draw really type thing.
“But you’ve got to hand it to him, he was obviously very clever because he lost the power steering, continued to drive. He probably got a low battery warning knowing the battery’s about to run out. And if he stops with the battery gone, he’s knackered anyway.
“He’s a very clever driver and we know that. And it’s just such a shame he didn’t get the result he deserves.”
Asked if he’d noticed a big difference in Fourmaux compared to last year, Millener replied: “Yes, maybe.
“But I think a bit less pressure from the media and things helps as well, and he knows what he now needs to achieve. And hopefully these tough times will continue to build him as a character and a person.
“But it’s never easy when the luck seems to be against you. But he got a fantastic result obviously in the UK [on the Malcolm Wilson], really good, solid drive in México, and now we move on to Croatia next where he can be very fast on Tarmac.
“He had a bit of a disaster there last year but again he will have learnt from that and I hope he can show a good, strong standing there as well.”
Fourmaux himself is pleased with his early season performances too.
“I think we are doing a really strong first part of the season and we can be really happy,” he told DirtFish.
“We are very consistent on all the stages and every rally. We won some national events, so we are happy and confident.
“I think I’m building up, that is the most important thing.”
