WRC drivers protest FIA Fourmaux fine in Rally Kenya
19th March 2025The World Rally Drivers have stood in unison and have joined together to protest the FIA fine which Adrien Fourmaux, Hyundai, picked up in Rally Sweden.
Feature image credit: Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool
At the end of the power stage at Rally Sweden, Adrien Fourmaux dropped the F-word of which the Frenchman was slapped with a €10,000 fine for his use of language.
Since then, all of the WRC drivers have unified to create the World Rally Drivers’ Alliance (WoRDA) which they state there has been an ‘alarming increase’ of sanctions imposed for ‘minor, isolated and unintentional language lapses.’
WoRDA stated their statement in regards to ‘driver misconduct’ was inspired by Formula 1’s Grand Prix Drivers Association. In November, last year, the GPDA urged the FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, to ‘consider his own tone and language’ when he was talking about their members.
The new union for the WRC drivers has now called for a ‘direct communication and engagement’ between all members and the FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem. In a statement, WoRDA said:
“WoRDA has always recognised our responsibilities and commitment to collaborate in a constructive way with all stakeholders, including the FIA President, in order to promote and elevate our outstanding Sport for the benefit of all.
“In recent months, however, there has ben an alarming increase in the severity of the sanctions imposed for minor, isolated and unintentional language lapses. This has reached an unacceptable level.”
See full statement below
The protest has shown that drivers, at the end of the stage, will either say nothing or speak in their non-English languages as a way to ‘make a difference,’ as Toyota’s two-time world champion, Kalle Rovanpera stated.
During the pre-event shakedown, Elfyn Evans (Welsh) and defending world drivers champion, Thierry Neuville (Belgian) spoke in their native tongue whereas others like Fourmaux and Takamoto Katsuta remained quiet on the stage end.
In English, Ott Tanak and Kalle Rovanpera were the few to speak in English and placed emphasis on their protest of post-stage interviews.
“It’s nice to be here in Kenya,” said Rovanpera. “Unfortunately you guys don’t hear from me much this weekend. If that’s the case, what we need to do to make a difference: we will do it.”
Read more WRC here:
- Who is driving at WRC Safari Rally Kenya 2025?
- Evans ‘caught napping’ by Katsuta before Rally Sweden win
- Elfyn Evans holds off Takamoto Katsuta to win 2025 WRC Sweden
- Evans on cusp of Rally Sweden win with Katsuta just behind
- Evans leads penultimate day of WRC Rally Sweden 2025
- Evans regains lead of WRC Rally Sweden in second day
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
