Adrien Fourmaux is determined to bid farewell to the Rally1 cars in “style” at this weekend’s 2026 World Rally Championship season finale in Sardinia.
Sardinia’s gravel stages marks the final round of the current Rally1 regulations, which has created arguably the championship’s most spectacular and quickest machinery for a generation.
Next year, the championship will adopt new WRC27 technical regulations based around the slower and more affordable Rally2 cars.
Fourmaux is among the majority of drivers to have voiced their appreciation of the Rally1 cars during what has been the final campaign for the machines.
The Frenchman has had the privilege to drive two of the three Rally1 cars since they were introduced in 2022, having piloted the M-Sport-Ford Puma in 2022 and 2024, before joining Hyundai to drive the i20 N Rally1 in 2025 and 2026.
Fourmaux has been desperate to claim a maiden WRC win and has been knocking on the door to achieve that on several occasions this year.
In a post on social media, Fourmaux also hinted that this could also be his last dance with Hyundai, with both his WRC future and that of the teams’ in the championship yet to be determined.
“The final chapter is already upon us,” read a post from the driver’s social media account. “On Sardinian gravel, we bid farewell to the Rally1 cars. We’ll give everything to deliver our best. Let’s write the last page in style!”
Adrien Fourmaux, Alexandre Coria, Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Photo by: Hyundai
Hyundai has already ruled out plans to build a car to the 2027 technical rules for next year. However, the brand has been developing a heavily revised Rally2 car that is set to be homologated ahead of 2027.
This car would allow the team to potentially continue to compete in the top class, with Rally2 machinery set to do battle alongside the new 2027-spec machinery. Hyundai is, however, yet to commit to the Rally2 update kit announced by the FIA, which aims to bring the Rally2 cars more in line with the new WRC27 cars.
But Fourmaux’s previous team M-Sport has committed to developing an upgrade kit for its Ford Fiesta Rally2 for 2027, while speculation continues to linger that Ford could be set to make a full return to the WRC in the future.
Fourmaux has previously stated that he would entertain a step back to Rally2 machinery for a season, but ideally would like to remain competing in top level machinery. With only Toyota and tuner teams Project Rally One and RMC Motorsport constructing 2027 cars, seats appear to be limited.
However, looking ahead to this week’s season finale in Sardinia, Fourmaux’s focus is on ending the campaign in the strongest way possible.
“Sardinia is an event where I have always been fast, but for different reasons I’ve never managed to come away with the result I felt was possible, so the plan is to change that this year,” added Fourmaux.
“Having the rally in October can be a little different. There is probably a greater chance of rain, although we have also seen rain in Sardinia in June, so the weather can always play a role.
“If it stays dry, I expect the conditions to be quite similar to what we know: it’s a very demanding rally for both the cars and the crews, and you need to manage everything well throughout the weekend.
“It will also be a special event as the final round of the championship and the last rally for this great generation of Rally1 cars. We want to finish the season in the strongest possible way and fight for a good result.”
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