The World Rally Championship's Adrien Fourmaux has become the first driver sanctioned under the new FIA stewards' penalty guidelines. Having finished the Rally Sweden power stage on Sunday, the Frenchman used the F-word during his post-stage interview, which was broadcast live. In response, the stewards handed him a €30,000 fine, with €20,000 of that suspended for 12 months. In accordance to the FIA International Sporting Code (ISC), the first €10,000 must be paid within 48 hours of notification. This is the first known occurrence of the changes to the ISC for 2025, specifically the new Appendix B, being put into force. The stewards' report confirms the Hyundai driver explained he had "used the words in a colloquial and descriptive way, in the sense that he had made a mistake. He apologised as he did not mean to offend or insult anyone by using those words." However, the officials deemed punishment to be necessary nonetheless. The report read: "The Stewards reminded the Driver and the Team Representative of the stance of the FIA regarding not only inappropriate language but also verbal/physical abuse, and making/displaying political, religious and personal statements or comments notably in violation of the general principle of neutrality promoted by the FIA under its Statutes. "The Stewards and the FIA acknowledge that the words in question have unfortunately become common colloquialisms. However, it is essential to emphasise that this does not diminish the fact that such language is widely regarded as profanity and is inappropriate in public discourse, including live television broadcasts." It also stated that in deciding the correct punishment for Fourmaux, it considered a number of mitigating factors, many of which will be relevant to drivers competing across FIA championships, including F1. Those factors from the official FIA stewards' report are below. Beneath that is the social media apology posted by the WRC driver.
Mitigating factors considered by the stewards in Fourmaux's punishment
This is his first instance of the Driver being summoned before the Stewards for such an infringement. English is not the Driver’s native language. The expression used is a rather colloquial term in certain cultures and was not intended to be offensive. The driver has acknowledged that it was a lapse in judgment, expressed in the heat of the moment immediately after finishing SS18 Umeå (Powerstage). The remark was self-referential, directed solely at the driver’s own performance, and was not aimed at any other individual or entity. There is no evidence to suggest that it meant to cause offense to any other party. The driver immediately recognised the inappropriate nature of the comment and issued an unprompted apology to the Stewards and the FIA. Furthermore, he voluntarily committed to posting a public apology on his social media account, which has since been published. The driver has assured the Stewards that he shall exercise greater caution in the future.
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First of all, I'd like to apology about the words I had at the end of last stage. It's been an intense week-end, very exhausting and merciless physically and mentally for all of us. pic.twitter.com/NyliGpdkLm — Adrien FOURMAUX (@AdrienFourmaux) February 16, 2025
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