The British M-Sport Ford team promotes two young drivers to the WRC – Adrien Fourmaux gets a second chance, Gregoire Munster ahead of first Rally1 season
After Ott Tänak left M-Sport Ford after just one WRC season, the British team is repositioning itself. In 2024, Adrien Fourmaux and Gregoire Munster will form the driver pairing in the two Puma Rally1s in the World Rally Championship
2024 we will take a new and different approach to the past twelve months,” says Team Principal Richard Millener. “Developing young talent and helping them to prove themselves is an exciting way to approach a world championship season.”
“With some top riders not competing in the full championship, we have the opportunity to put in some strong and surprising performances. We still have all the ingredients to achieve results.”
A year ago, M-Sport and Tänak were still aiming for the world championship title. With the two young drivers, Millener speaks of an “almost blank sheet of paper”. Fourmaux and Munster will contest all 13 WRC rounds.
Fourmaux, whose co-driver is Alexandre Coria, has already contested the entire 2022 season for M-Sport. The Frenchman scored three WRC points at the time, with seventh place in Estonia being his best individual result.
In 2023, Fourmaux won the title in the British Championship. He also contested the Rally2 season at the same time. “I enjoyed being part of the development of the Fiesta Rally2,” he recalls. “I think this will help me for the coming season with the Rally1 car. “
“I am very happy to be back in Rally1 in 2024. That was the main goal of the 2023 season. I’m looking forward to returning to the Puma for a full season next year. I’m grateful to M-Sport, Ford and Red Bull for having the confidence in me.”
“We have a proper plan to work hard and achieve the best possible results to get the team back to where it belongs. I am also very proud to be the only French rider to race the full season in the premier class.”
Luxembourger Munster sat in the Rally1 Puma twice last season. That was in Chile and at the Rally Central Europe. In his second outing, he scored WRC points in seventh place.
Munster spent most of the time driving the Fiesta Rally2 with his Belgian co-driver Louis Louka. “Driving in WRC2 for almost the entire 2023 season was a big advantage,” says Munster. “It was the first time I had the chance to drive almost all the WRC events and collect kilometers. “
“The two rounds in the Puma helped me a lot to prepare for Rally1 in 2024. The work within the M-Sport team was also incredibly useful. You can see that the WRC2 and Rally1 teams are in the same structure.”
“I’m looking forward to the start in Monte-Carlo. The goal for 2024 is to get some good results first and to increase the pace from rally to rally and try not to make any mistakes and just gain all the experience.”
Pierre Louis Loubet, who drove alongside Tänak for M-Sport in 2023, has not secured a Rally1 car for 2024. The Frenchman’s plans are currently unknown
