Fourmaux in points, Loubet unhappy: mixed fortunes for the French in Estonia

In the absence of Sébastien Ogier and Sébastien Loeb, Adrien fourmaux and Pierre-Louis Loubet were the two French representatives in Estonia. The two compatriots did not have the same fate on the rally Baltic. Long competing for 5th place overall, teammates at M-Sport finally ended up far from each other.

For Fourmaux, finally a smooth rally

Adrien Fourmaux arrived 7th after a cautious rally. The Northerner played it safe to secure a few points. After several complicated events since the start of the season (4 retirements in the first 5 rounds), the No. 16 driver achieved his best performance of the season at Otepää. “It was a really good rally for me, my first time in Estonia with a top rally car against drivers with a lot of experience. I can be really happy with the pace we showed to be able to fight for fifth position”, declared Fourmaux at the end of the test.

First ranked among the four Ford M-Sports in the running, the Fourmaux-Coria duo managed to avoid the traps set by the weather. “It was an interesting rally. It's good to gain confidence on this type of surface, which was difficult with the rain! The weather was crazy throughout the weekend, especially in the last stage where we unfortunately lost sixth position. But I will certainly take the positives from this rally. » In the championship, thanks to this 7th place, Fourmaux moved up to 15th position with 9 points.

For Loubet, a big disappointment on arrival

Pierre-Louis Loubet did not have the same luck in Estonia. In the running to score new points again on Saturday evening, Corsica was a victim of a broken suspension during the first special on Sunday. While in 8th place, the French crew had to retire. " I do not know what to say. I just made a stupid mistake. On Friday we had lost sixth place so we were in a good position. It was a shame to waste time on this last step. I was uncomfortable for the rest of the weekend after that. »

The M-Sport driver explained his driving error which forced him to retire. “I was more focused on the next corner than the previous one. I was thinking about this turn because I didn't like it. It's all my fault, it's a mistake that I won't make again because in this event, you can't escape. » Without having scored a single point in Estonia, Loubet remains ahead of Fourmaux in the championship, 13th with 18 points. Corsica will be back for the next rally, in Finland (August 4-7).

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