Adrien Fourmaux couldn't hide his frustration but remained optimistic for the final day of the rally. The Hyundai driver revealed an unusual weakness in his car: a front bumper that destroys itself. "The front bumper basically destroys itself," he said. "It's just really, really weak."
This issue isn't merely cosmetic. Fourmaux stressed that the component heavily affects performance. "The front bumper is an extremely important component in performance terms because we know how dependent this car is on aerodynamics," he explained. This weakness is a setback amid a fierce battle with Toyota's Sebastien Ogier.
Throughout Saturday, Fourmaux was locked in a close fight with Ogier for third place. On the final stage of the day, he lost 8.2 seconds to his fellow Frenchman. The gap between them now stands at 10.7 seconds heading into Sunday. Nevertheless, Fourmaux insisted their pre-planned tyre strategy worked well. "We expected more tyre damage in the afternoon, but there wasn't really any," he said.
Despite the disappointment of losing time on the final stage, Fourmaux remained positive. "I'm still feeling very positive. We've spent two days fighting with the leading drivers ahead of us, so it has been a really good battle," he said. He also made it clear that the fight for a podium is not over. There are still 71.2 competitive kilometres remaining, including the new 27-kilometre Carampangue stage.
Fourmaux believes the new stage could be decisive. "New stages usually produce bigger gaps. So we need to do well because I expect the time differences there to be greater than on the stages we have driven throughout the weekend," he analysed. He is determined to attack. "I'm not giving up – I'm going to attack. Second place is only ten seconds away, so anything is possible. In Paraguay, we managed to make up around 50 seconds, so let's see if we can make up ten this time," he asserted.
With a substantial amount of competitive distance left and a challenging new stage, Fourmaux still has a chance to snatch second place. However, he hopes his car holds together, especially the fragile front bumper. "If only we could keep the front bumper in one piece. I would really appreciate that. It's not that I'm hitting any bumps, rocks or anything else. The front bumper basically destroys itself. It's just really, really weak," he lamented.
This weakness could be a crucial factor in the title fight. If Hyundai cannot overcome the aerodynamic issue, Fourmaux might struggle to maximise his car's potential for the rest of the season. However, his fighting spirit and strategic approach could be his weapons to stay at the front.
Baca Juga
Oliver Solberg memuji Sebastien Ogier sebagai 'monster' dalam manajemen ban setelah mempertahankan keunggulan di Rally Chile. Simak strategi dan peluangnya.
Kecelakaan hebat Carlberg di Junior WRC Chile membuat peluangnya juara sirna dan mengukuhkan Ali Turkkan di ambang gelar. Simak analisis lengkapnya.
Esapekka Lappi rombak setelan Hyundai dan puji co-driver Enni Malkonen usai hari Sabtu yang lebih positif di Rally Finlandia. Simak selengkapnya.
Lanjutkan dengan Google
Diskusi & Komentar (0)
Mari Bergabung dalam Diskusi!
Masuk dengan mudah untuk mulai memberikan komentar, membalas, dan berinteraksi dengan pembaca lainnya.
Komentar Terbaru
Belum ada komentar. Jadilah yang pertama!