The snowbanks of Rally Sweden have claimed yet another victim—this time, it’s Adrien Fourmaux, who crashed out of sixth place after an ambitious push to recover lost time.
The Hyundai driver had been in the mix for a podium finish, but his rally took a dramatic turn when he lost more than 20 seconds on the final stage of Saturday morning. The culprit? A seemingly minor yet costly issue—his helmet strap came loose, forcing him to stop and secure it.
Determined to make up for lost time, Fourmaux went all-in on the afternoon loop, opting to carry just one spare wheel to cut down on weight. His gamble paid off immediately, as he clocked the fastest time on the first stage of the afternoon session.
However, his charge came to an abrupt halt on SS13 Sarjöliden, when a wide entry into a high-speed left-hander sent his car into a snowbank. Despite his best efforts to power through, the snow sucked his Hyundai in deeper, leaving it well and truly beached.
Fourmaux and co-driver Alex Coria quickly leapt out to dig themselves free, but progress was slow. The Frenchman’s hopes of a strong finish now hinge on whether they can extract the car in time to continue.
Meanwhile, at the front of the rally, Toyota’s Elfyn Evans continues to set the pace, stretching his lead over teammate Takamoto Katsuta to 8.6 seconds after SS13. Thierry Neuville has also made moves, passing Ott Tänak to claim third place, with 6.5 seconds separating them.
With more stages to come, the battle at the top is heating up—but for Fourmaux, it’s a bitter end to what was shaping up to be an impressive run in Sweden. Can he recover, or is his rally over? Stay tuned for more updates from the snow-covered battleground!
