Adrien Fourmaux: Big Battles and Honest Talk About the 2026 Season

Adrien Fourmaux says he can be proud of his 2026 season, even though he did not reach his main goal of winning his first FIA World Rally Championship event. The 31-year-old French driver fought for victory several times and became Hyundai Motorsport’s most consistent driver throughout the year. He finished fifth in the championship standings, matching his best result from 2024, but this time he achieved four podiums and scored his highest points total ever. By the end of the season, he was 49 points ahead of his more experienced teammate Thierry Neuville and also finished above Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Takamoto Katsuta, who won two rallies during the year.Despite these good results, Fourmaux had several unlucky moments while fighting for wins. At Rally Italia Sardegna, he was only 0.4 seconds behind the leader when he had his first tyre problem. In Paraguay, he was trailing by just 7.5 seconds when he had to stop and change a wheel. Heavy rain ruined his chances in Finland, while in Greece he led early on before having tyre trouble again. In Portugal, he was also in control of the race before he spun and got two flat tyres. Even with these obstacles, Fourmaux and his co-driver Alexandre Coria showed they were one of the most consistent teams of the season. Out of 13 rallies, they finished 12 in the top seven, including 11 finishes in the top five.Fourmaux says he is truly proud of the past season because the car improved a lot and he was able to fight on all types of gravel surfaces. He mentioned that tarmac was his only weak spot, which slightly hurt his position in the championship. However, he feels that finishing fifth without a win is still very positive. He pointed out that the drivers ahead of him won two or more races, which proves how strong his own performance was, especially since he kept fighting every Sunday to grab extra points.The driver takes many positives from the year and believes his first victory will definitely come. He decided to stop worrying about it, as pushing too hard for a win was not working. Now he is focusing on his future and on becoming a world champion. Even though everyone at Hyundai is a bit sad that they did not win a rally together, Fourmaux emphasizes that this is not the end of his career and he is not saying goodbye.While Hyundai’s plans for 2027 and Fourmaux’s own future are not clear yet, he is confident that he will keep racing. He promises fans that they will see him back on the track, though he does not yet know which car, team, or championship he will drive in next.