Adrien Fourmaux seems like a lock to get a Rally1 drive again next season, but has he done enough to earn another chance?
Fourmaux’s 2023 Season
Adrien Fourmaux has had a decent season in WRC2 and a great one in the British Rally Championship. Fourmaux currently sits 6th in the WRC2 Championship. Having competed in all 7 point-scoring rounds he’s allowed, Fourmaux can only go lower. The French driver only claimed 1 podium this season, which was a 2nd at Secto Rally Finland. He was on pace to win the class at the Rally Italia Sardegna, however, an accident would stop that from happening. In the British Rally Championship Fourmaux won all 5 events he competed in to take home the championship. Becoming the first French driver to win the championship. Fourmaux will compete at the Central European Rally later this month to gain experience as he can no longer score WRC2 championship points.
Has Fourmaux Earned A Chance?
On the surface, Fourmaux seems like he still has a bit to go to get another chance in a Rally1 car. He wasn’t really competitive in WRC2. Sure he was around 5th place consistently at every event, but nothing has really stood out to say he should be the first in line to get another chance. Guys like Andreas Mikkelsen and Oliver Solberg should likely get a chance before Fourmaux does. However, Fourmaux seems like a lock to drive for M-Sport next season. As the team needs drivers, Pierre-Louis Loubet will likely stay with the British team. However, from there, it’s all open.
WRC2 Isn’t Rally1
Even if his WRC2 stats haven’t been something that screams he should get another chance, he will likely get a chance. Which isn’t a bad thing and nobody will hold it against Forumaux. As at the end of the day, nothing done in WRC2 really matters for Rally1. The gap between the cars is night and day, you could drive a perfect season in WRC2 and then go and not even finish top five in a Rally1 car the next season. The Rally1 cars are hybrid and have much more aerodynamics than the WRC2 cars. The only way Forumaux will become a good WRC driver is by driving a Rally1 car. WRC2 used to be a decent scale on whether or not a driver would do good in a top car. Now it really isn’t. Truthfully Fourmaux has the skill and ability to be a good top-level driver in the WRC. He just needs to get experience with the car and at the events.