Sébastien Loeb will not return to the WRC which this year saw the ninth coronation of his heir Sébastien Ogier.
Sébastien Ogier did it: achieve nine world rally championship titles like his glorious elder Sébastien Loeb. A record which since 2012 seemed unattainable. On the airwaves of RMC these days, the Gapençais admitted that he was of course aiming for a tenth victory. A prospect which could have pushed his Alsatian counterpart to return to service.
“ Despite all the respect I have for him, I am already an elderly pilot, and he is ten years older than me (Loeb will celebrate his 52nd birthday on February 26, editor’s note). There comes a time when you have to stop… », says Sébastien Ogier when mentioning a possible back to business WRC by Sébastien Loeb. An opinion that his ex-teammate at Citroën is not far from sharing.
While his last appearance in the World Rally Championship dates back to 2022 – for success in Monte-Carlo – Sébastien Loeb today excludes any investment in the discipline that made his legend. “ It’s not possible as long as we’re at Dacia, for brand issues… it’s complicated “, he confides to Motorsport.com.
Why not freelance from time to time…
“ Doing fourteen races, getting back into this whole atmosphere, no honestly, it’s too muchcontinues the native of Haguenau. Between all the preparation, the cameras, the videos that must be prepared in advance, coming back to a championship where I no longer necessarily know the rallies because I stopped too long ago, it would require far too much commitment.
»
However, Sébastien Loeb does not completely rule out the idea of doing another small rally, here and there. “ Do one one day, why not, I don’t know… Today in any case, that’s not part of the plans for the future » This while admitting to being able to “ decide in February to do a WRC in April “. “ The French rally championship, things like that, I like because the atmosphere is good. And then the sensations typical of WRC rally, or more classic rally, it’s true that it’s something », concludes the incurable enthusiast.
