Adrien Fourmaux has some ambitious targets for the end of the 2024 World Rally Championship season as the series heads into his final four events.
The Frenchman is in his sixth season in the WRC and his fifth with M-Sport Ford having joined the team in 2020.
Fourmaux has enjoyed success in the WRC2, finishing third in the championship in his debut year with M-Sport and impressed last season as he went back to the category from the Rally1 machinery.
In 2024, the 29-year-old is having his best WRC season to date with four podiums and currently sits fifth in the standings. Speaking with DirtFish, Fourmaux revealed his targets for the end of the year.
Adrien Fourmaux targets top three amid Hyundai links
Fourmaux’s performances have caught the attention of other teams in the field, with the Frenchman being linked with Hyundai.
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The Korean manufacturer are assessing their options for their third car for 2025. Thierry Neuville is out of contract at the end of the year, while team principal Cyril Abiteboul says it would be pretty natural to extend Ott Tanak’s deal.
Despite the rumours, Fourmaux has remained tight-lipped on the matter as he sets his sights on third place in the championship; a position he had previously held after third place finishes in Sweden and Kenya.
He said: “I’m sure it’s still possible. So I want to push that way and let’s see what happens.
“I think to fight for the championship might be really difficult, but at least to fight for the podium of the championship, this is my big target now.
Fourmaux also aims to win a rally, which is yet to do in his career: “Well, the target is to raise [to] the top of the podium, I think I missed that.”
“We did four podiums, but I definitely want to go higher now. It’s a rally that I think I like, my driving is suitable also for that. So I have quite a high expectation, but for sure I will have the same approach as before. I’ll do my best and then we’ll see.
“Last year we’ve been really competitive with the Rally2. I did it in the past in the World Rally Car, and it was a nice experience. I was fourth overall before an engine issue, so I’ve been quite competitive in Greece, so I feel quite comfortable in those roads.
“But I know that we will have to be careful with tires, with suspension, to make sure that we don’t break anything, because it’s going to be a rough event.”
Can Adrien Fourmaux challenge for third in the championship?
Fourmaux’s four third place finishes in Sweden, Kenya, Poland and last time out at Rally Finland have put him in a good position to achieve his target.
The M-Sport driver sits fifth with 119 points, 18 behind third place Tanak, with Elfyn Evans five points behind him in fourth.
Tanak has endured a miserable year with several accidents hampering his title charge. His Toyota rival has yet to win a rally this year as Evans’ bad luck continues to ruin his chances at the top.
With the inconsistencies of the drivers in front, Fourmaux is in with a good chance to challenge for a podium in the championship with Greece, Chile, Central Europe and Japan still to come.