Adrien Fourmaux celebrates his 30th birthday: from Rallye Jeunes to Hyundai, a booming career

Thirty for Adrien fourmaux ! The Frenchman celebrates his 30th birthday on May 3, 2025. The only Frenchman to be involved full-time in WRC with the stable Hyundai, the native of Seclin (North) is progressing year after year with, at the time of writing, six podiums in the World Rally Championship since 2023. From his debut in rally via the Youth Rally program to a permanent position with an official manufacturer, a look back at the Northerner's career, which was nevertheless strewn with pitfalls.

Winner of the Youth Rally operation organized by the French Automobile Sports Federation (FFSA) in 2016, Adrien Fourmaux is making his debut in the French Junior Rally Championship, co-driven by his brother Maxime. On the sidelines of his very demanding medical studies, the Northerner finished with difficulty in 3rd position. After a gap year in 2017 to devote himself to his studies, he repeated in 2018 and won the title with two rounds remaining, after having won all the rounds.

© Thomas Fenetre / DPPI

After his French Junior champion title obtained in 2018, he lined up for five rallies in WRC 2, associated with the Belgian Renaud Jamoul (co-driver) with M-SportHe finished 2nd in the Monte-Carlo Rally and then 10th overall, which earned him his first world championship point. He finished 2019 in 13th place in the WRC 2. A year marked by a violent crash during the Rally du Touquet, where he rolled twelve tons.

The following season, he finished 3rd in WRC 2, finishing 2nd in the category three times in Monte Carlo, Estonia and Turkey. It is truly in 2021 that Fourmaux reveals itself. Engaged alternately in WRC and WRC2, he made a splash in Croatia, finishing in a very good 5th place, before doing it again a few months later in Kenya! Despite a damaging road trip in Ypres (Belgium) in 2021, his performances earned him a start at M-Sport in 2022, at the wheel of the Ford Puma.

Unfortunately, his first full season in the premier class was a nightmare. Adrien Fourmaux had a string of mishaps, starting with a dramatic crash at the Monte Carlo Rally. Forced to retire in Sweden (engine problems) and Croatia (accident), he completed his first rally and scored his first points of the season at the fourth round in Portugal.

The rest of his campaign would be similar, with the Frenchman alternating between mistakes and misfortune. After the Ypres Rally, where he was involved in another accident, M-Sport claimed that the Ford Puma's chassis was too damaged to prevent it from entering the next two rallies, in Greece and New Zealand. For budgetary reasons, the Frenchman also skipped the final round in Japan, finishing his championship in 16th place with just 13 points.

This disastrous campaign prompted M-Sport to "demote" him to WRC2, with the Ford Fiesta, so that the Frenchman could regain confidence after a grueling year. Aboard a car that was outdated compared to its competitors, Adrien Fourmaux found his usual pace and showed impressive progress. In Sardinia, the Northerner came close to victory but suffered a track excursion in the Power Stage. Alongside WRC2, Adrien Fourmaux won the British Rally Championship (BRC). His performances were so convincing that M-Sport decided to offer the Frenchman a stint in Rally1 during Rally Japan. A stint that wouldn't last very long, as the Frenchman was involved in an accident on the first stage, but no matter: the British team decided to give him another start in 2024 aboard the Ford Puma, in the premier class.

2024 is the year of revelation for Adrien Fourmaux. Much stronger mentally, much faster too, the Frenchman impresses and transforms into a true team leader. The Seclin native takes his first WRC podium at Rally Sweden (3rd), a performance he repeats at the following round in Kenya (3rd). In total, the M-Sport driver scores five podiums – all 3rd places – in the thirteen rounds of the season, with a mature driving style. He finishes outside the Top 10 only four times and finishes 5th in the championship, with 162 points.

© Nikos Katikis / DPPI

A superb season that caught the eye of Hyundai, who were looking for a third full-time driver. After five seasons with M-Sport, Adrien Fourmaux is moving up a gear and moving to the next level in 2025, joining an official program alongside two world champions, Thierry Neuville et Ott Tänak. From his first outing at the Monte-Carlo Rally, the Frenchman impressed and fought for victory right up until the final stages, before finally finishing 3rd, his first podium at the Monte-Carlo. The next step for Adrien Fourmaux? A first victory in the WRC.

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