That maiden World Rally Championship victory still eludes him, but Adrien Fourmaux can look back on a seriously impressive campaign. Emerging as the most consistent performer inside the Hyundai Motorsport garage, the Frenchman put himself in the fight for wins on multiple occasions across the calendar.
He wrapped up the championship in fifth place, matching his previous best result from 2024 while securing four podium finishes and the highest points total of his career so far. When the dust settled, he sat 49 points clear of his more experienced team-mate Thierry Neuville, and even finished ahead of Toyota Gazoo Racing driver Takamoto Katsuta, who managed two wins during the year.
You will see me, but in which car or which team, which championship, I don’t know. But I will drive,
Unfortunately, the road to victory was littered with brutal moments of bad luck. At Rally Italia Sardegna, he was running a mere 0.4 seconds off the lead when the first of two cruel tyre issues intervened. In Paraguay, he was sitting 7.5 seconds adrift before being forced to pull over and change a wheel. Heavy rain caught him at the worst possible moment in Finland to wreck another victory bid, while Greece saw him leading early before tyre dramas struck again. Portugal followed a similar heartbreaking script, where an early command of the rally vanished following a spin and a subsequent double puncture.
Yet, through all the madness, the machine and its crew kept delivering. Alongside co-driver Alexandre Coria, the pairing finished 12 out of the 13 rallies inside the top seven, bagging 11 top-five results along the way. "To be fair, I’m quite proud of the season," Fourmaux said.
Reflecting on the progress made with the machine, the 31-year-old noted the strong steps forward on gravel and across all surfaces, even if a deficit on Tarmac ultimately hurt his title aspirations. Looking back at his championship position without taking a single win, he found plenty of encouragement in his raw pace compared to rivals who managed multiple victories. "I will take a lot of positives. Yes, I did not get a rally win, but it will come later," he added.
As for what comes next, both his personal future and Hyundai’s plans for 2027 remain unconfirmed. But one thing is certain: the helmet is not going on a shelf anytime soon. "You will see me, but in which car or which team, which championship, I don’t know. But I will drive," he concluded.
