Last year, Fourmaux gained experience in the WRC2 class, but this season he returned to the top category, taking the wheel of M-Sport’s Ford Puma Rally1 car.
There weren’t high expectations placed on the Frenchman, but he has delivered impressive performances rally after rally. Before this year, Fourmaux had never made it to the podium, but this season he has been a consistent contender for top positions.
M-Sport team principal Richard Millener had faith in Fourmaux even before the season began, but even the British boss didn’t anticipate results as strong as these.
“I was convinced he had everything necessary, particularly the right mentality, to achieve good results. However, I did not expect him to reach the podium four times,” Millener admitted, according to the French magazine Autohebdo.
Fourmaux also competed in the top WRC class with the Ford Puma during the 2022 season, but at that time, his campaign was marked more by crashes than by solid results. It seems that a year in the lower class was the perfect decision.
Team principal Millener agrees with this assessment.
“He handles the events much better now. Finland was a very good example of this. On Friday morning, he was not on pace and found himself far from the position he hoped for. He decided to work on the car for the rest of the first day and Saturday to figure out what was working and what wasn’t,” Millener recounted.
“Sunday was not perfect, but he kept fighting and eventually finished on the third step of the podium. In the past, he might have given up after a poor start,”
Fourmaux’s contract with M-Sport covers the current season. Due to his outstanding performances, his market value is rising, and it’s likely that other teams are interested in the Frenchman. Rumours have already linked Fourmaux with Hyundai.
M-Sport, however, is keen to hold onto their star driver. The team, operating on a smaller budget than Hyundai and Toyota, has demonstrated its potential with Fourmaux this year, and Millener hopes the partnership will continue.
Millener explained how the team is trying to secure Fourmaux’s future with them.
“He knows that with us, he is the number one, and that the team is built around him. I don’t know if we need to do more to make him want to stay. I think he should stay because he wants to. We will continue to work to show him that the car is competitive and that the team is strong,” Millener concluded.
