WRC Finland 2026: Adrien Fourmaux Loses Podium Chance at Saarikas

Adrien Fourmaux believes the extreme rain at Saarikas effectively ended his WRC Finland 2026 podium challenge after the Hyundai driver lost around a minute and a half during Friday afternoon’s running.

Fourmaux was among the drivers caught in the worst conditions on the second pass through Saarikas when torrential rain swept across the special stage. He lost around 90 seconds to Elfyn Evans, who encountered more favourable conditions and set the fastest time.

“I’m pretty disappointed. I felt I had the pace to fight for something good, at least a podium or even better. The rain changed everything. It completely changed the game because the torrential rain filled all the ruts with water. We needed a boat rather than a car,” Fourmaux said.

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The conditions left the road ruts filled with standing water, while the narrow nature of the stage gave Fourmaux little opportunity to avoid them. He explained that keeping the car on the road meant remaining inside the ruts, making substantial time loss almost unavoidable.

Fourmaux realised the scale of the problem before he had even started the stage. While waiting behind Thierry Neuville, he watched the rain intensify to the point where the opening corner was difficult to see, before the conditions deteriorated further.

“It was really unfair. I lost a podium because of the rain in Paraguay. The rain seems to follow me, but I don’t know why,” he said. Fourmaux ended Friday sixth overall and almost a minute away from a podium position.

With dry conditions forecast for the remainder of the rally, Fourmaux believes such a deficit will be extremely difficult to recover without problems affecting the crews ahead. WRC Finland 2026 continues with the remaining special stages before the rally concludes on Sunday.