It had been expected that the drivers would carry out a quiet protest against the FIA in Kenya. The competitors are frustrated over the €10,000 fine handed to Hyundai driver Adrien Fourmaux at the end of Rally Sweden after he used casual profanity at the finish of the final stage.
Following the incident, the WRC stars formed their own drivers’ association (WoRDA), which then sent an open letter to the FIA. The organisation argues that the governing body’s current stance on swearing is too harsh. WoRDA’s goal was to establish a direct dialogue with FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem and reach a swift resolution.
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Based on the events at the Safari Rally shakedown, no such discussions have taken place. The drivers refrained from giving proper interviews after their opening runs on the test stage, breaking from the usual routine.
The first driver to complete his run was Elfyn Evans, the Welshman who currently leads the WRC standings. He gave a short comment in Welsh, while his Toyota teammate Kalle Rovanperä briefly clarified the situation.
“Unfortunately, you guys won’t hear from me so much this weekend. But that’s the case for us to make a difference,” Rovanperä stated.
Hyundai driver Ott Tänak echoed Rovanperä’s stance.
“Unfortunately, regarding the latest actions, we can’t give any end-of-stage comments until it’s again comfortable for the drivers. Hopefully, the solution comes soon and we can go back to normal,” Tänak explained.
Reigning world champion Thierry Neuville repeated the same message in French, confirming that no agreement had been reached with the FIA.
Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta simply gave a thumbs-up in response to an interview request, while Fourmaux – at the centre of the controversy – remained completely silent and did not even glance at the camera.
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On the opening run of the test stage, Rovanperä set the fastest time, ahead of Tänak, Fourmaux, and Neuville. The shakedown remains ongoing.
Safari Rally officially kicks off on Thursday, with the first two special stages set to be contested.
