page_title: François Duval
section_title: 1999–2004
hierarchical_section_title: François Duval / Career / 1999–2004
caption_attribution_description: World Rally Championship WRC Rally Finland 2001
context_page_description: François Duval is a Belgian rally driver.
context_section_description: With victories in four events Duval won the Belgian Citroën Saxo Challenge title in 1999. He began his career as a rally driver at the international level; first, as a driver in the inaugural season of the lower-rung Super 1600 category of the World Rally Championship and later competed in the Junior World Rally Championship aboard a Ford Puma in 2001, the same year in which Saxo driver and future Citroën teammate Sébastien Loeb won the title. Beginning with the 2002 season, he progressed to become a regular driver of a Ford Focus RS WRC with the factory M-Sport-ran Ford World Rally Team. Concurrent with his World Rally Car exploits, he added a second campaign with the Puma in the junior series, taking a category win on the Monte Carlo Rally.
  For the 2003 season, Duval found himself promoted to the role of regular Ford points-scorer in the manufacturers' championship, alongside Estonian youngster Markko Märtin after the double departure from the team of both Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz. He made a points-scoring debut on that year's Monte Carlo Rally, and as predicted by team boss Malcolm Wilson, collected his first world rally podium in Turkey later in the year. He retained his role alongside Märtin heading into the 2004 season, backing up the Estonian de facto team leader in a 1–2 early season surprise win on the first world series running of the Rally Mexico. However, amidst increasing uncertainty as to Ford's participation in future championship seasons, both he and Martin were released from their contracts at the end of the season.
caption: Duval in a Ford Puma at the 2001 Rally Finland
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