Sardinia: Should Adrien Fourmaux leave on Saturday?

The curse that comes with Adrien fourmaux in Sardinia has struck again. Everything started remarkably well. Rushing in 4^e position, the Frenchman first signed two superb 3^es time in SS1 and 2. Before 2^e passage, he was on the provisional podium just 10''5 behind Sébastien Ogier the leader. At that point, the goal of getting a good place in the starting order on Saturday was perfectly achievable. Everything went wrong in loop No. 2.

On roads that were now very degraded, Fourmaux suffered a slow puncture at 20^e kilometer of a section measuring 25 (SS3). Taking care not to put too much stress on his left rear tire, the driver of the Ford Puma Rally1 reached the finish with a tattered wheel and a damaged wing. However, he managed to limit the damage. Not exploding with rage and remaining calm at the point, he tried to plan ahead. However, it turned out to be even more catastrophic. Fallen 6^es after their puncture, Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria were unable to exit SS4. An electrical problem prevented the Ford from going any further. Shouldn't the 10 minutes of penalties that accompanied this stoppage make you think about the strategy to follow?

Ranked 56^e at 8'44'' from 10^e rank synonymous with the first point, should Adrien Fourmaux leave on Saturday? First driver to start during the whole 2^e stage (149 km is long!), he has almost no chance of returning to the ranking which will be affected by the first distribution on Saturday evening. Should he not, on the contrary, save his mount and new tires for Sunday? During this last stage, he will be able to try to catch the units of “Golden Sunday” while targeting those of the Power Stage. This has a little "grocer's" side and it will be completely unfair to those who ran all three days, but that's how you have to know how to use the points scale.

The team M-Sport may consider it superfluous to immediately send the French Puma back into the specials tomorrow, but it is not impossible that Malcolm Wilson and Richard Millener think that this could be useful for Adrien Fourmaux. First on the road, the Frenchman has not finished making the track and the exercise will perhaps not be uninteresting. Given the length and difficulty of this 2nd day, we must see if competitors in Rally1 do not encounter some problems and find themselves relegated further than the Ford which would then have a better position on Sunday morning. This plan has a lot of unknowns, but it can work.

The American's late return must not have made the work of the M-Sport mechanics easier and the decision will undoubtedly come late in the evening. Will Adrien be at the start on Saturday morning? Response at 5:40 a.m. tomorrow when the first car, the Puma du Tricolore, will have to leave the parc ferme...