The World Rally Drivers Alliance (WoRDA), the official WRC drivers’ association, was founded shortly after Rally Sweden. The catalyst for its creation was Hyundai driver Adrien Fourmaux receiving a €10,000 fine.
Fourmaux used an English curse word casually in a post-stage interview at the finish of the final special stage in Sweden. However, the FIA no longer tolerates swearing, leading to a hefty penalty for the Frenchman.
The incident sparked outrage among WRC competitors, prompting them to take action and form an official alliance.
Drivers and co-drivers had already been united, particularly on safety matters. They have a private discussion channel where they highlight concerns during events. For instance, at the season-opening Rally Monte Carlo, one stage was cancelled after competitors collectively pushed for it due to safety concerns.
However, the final push to create an official organisation came from something completely unrelated to safety.
“One key issue is stage safety, of course. But we also feel that our actions on the stages are being restricted in the wrong ways,” Halttunen pointed out.
“After the Fourmaux swearing incident, we thought we should establish a proper alliance, like they have in Formula 1. Through this, we aim to influence things that we believe are important,” explained Jonne Halttunen, Kalle Rovanperä’s co-driver, to RallyJournal.com.
The FIA’s crackdown on swearing has caused controversy not only in rallying but also in Formula 1. Fines have increased significantly, and repeat offences could even lead to penalty points or suspensions.
Swearing in post-stage interviews is nothing new in rallying. Most of the time, these words are used harmlessly and without offending anyone – like when Rovanperä casually used the word “shit” to describe a poor performance.
Halttunen believes that eliminating swear words from stage-end interviews is nearly impossible.
“If they want only 100% polished language, maybe the interviews shouldn’t happen immediately at the stage finish. They could wait until the media or service zone instead.”
“We are risking our lives out there and giving everything we have. Then they immediately put a microphone in front of us – it’s not exactly the easiest moment to gather your thoughts,” Halttunen pointed out.
In sports, it’s often said that strong personalities are needed to keep fans engaged. Post-stage “heat-of-the-moment” interviews often bring out a driver’s raw emotions and character.
“What I love about this sport is that it’s full of emotions. If you look back 20–30 years at old interviews, they are still circulating on YouTube, and people enjoy watching them. I think it’s silly if we are restricted too much in what we can or can’t say,” Halttunen concluded.
