Ford Performance, M-Sport Ford Driver Fourmaux Wins First Podium at Rally Sweden

Feb 19, 2024
Click to Enlarge

February 18, 2024 - M-Sport Ford rising star Adrien Fourmaux and co-driver Alexandre Coria put on a stunning display all weekend during Rally Sweden. The pair claimed their maiden WRC podium, a career milestone for Fourmaux in just his fourth time competing on snow and ice.

Really great to get my first podium at the top level in Sweden, my fourth rally on snow and the second of the 2024 season. We are now third in the championship, which is really positive and gives a lot of confidence and motivation to the whole team who have been working really hard. We want now to just enjoy the podium, it’s been brilliant, and hopefully there are more podiums coming!
Adrien Fourmaux

M-Sport Ford World Rally Team celebrated Fourmaux’s fantastic and long-awaited third overall finish after five seasons of learning and support from the team. Fourmaux’s overall second-fastest time in Shakedown kicked off the action in a positive manner. The evening’s fan-favourite Umeå sprint stage brought spectacular snow and fire action, alongside a fourth-fastest stage time for the Frenchman.

Click to Enlarge

With bolstered confidence, Fourmaux took on Friday with quiet determination and a calculated approach. Snow and freezing rain made for tough weather conditions relatively unfamiliar to Fourmaux. Despite that, he set a trouble-free third-fastest time on SS4 and battled driver Elfyn Evans to finish fourth on the day.

Saturday saw other drivers start to struggle as Fourmaux continued to advance his overall standing. On SS11, he earned his first stage win since 2022 and hopefully the first of many in 2024. Remaining cool, calm and collected, Fourmaux delivered strong stage times all afternoon;  managing his tires and the degrading road conditions exceptionally well. Fourmaux arrived into end of day service sitting second overall and collecting 15 points ahead of Sunday.

Click to Enlarge

Sunday’s goal was clear: get the car back safely and secure Fourmaux’s first WRC podium. Keeping a good pace and taking no risks on the morning’s high-speed opening stage, Fourmaux found his place in third overall and would carefully maintain this all the way to the final time control and thus mark a momentous date in his rallying career. His overall position on Sunday would reward him with an additional three points, and he now finds himself third in the championship standings.

This has been such a special event for the whole team. The message to Adrien today was clear: Bring home the podium result! He continued to show great maturity, driving sensibly through the stages to secure a very well deserved third place. I have been so impressed by his mentality and confidence this weekend and I am looking forward to seeing what else he can achieve with us this year now this career milestone has been reached.
Malcolm Wilson
Managing Director
Click to Enlarge

Grégoire Munster also gained considerable experience and showed determined pace and skill during their weekend in Sweden. Munster put himself to the test in what he called some of the hardest driving conditions he’d ever experienced. Despite setbacks throughout the weekend, Munster ended the weekend in 23rd overall with a significant amount of new knowledge and stories to take home. 

Click to Enlarge

As the results show, Ford Performance, through its partnership with M-Sport, is quickly establishing its competitiveness in global motorsports, giving Blue Oval fans a team to root for in their favorite series.

Ford Performance is competing in more series than ever before. What’s your favorite?