Sébastien Loeb is a nine-time World Rally Champion and the reigning Excessive E champion, however as he prepares to make his return to the latter at this weekend’s Island X Prix, he doesn’t have something lined up within the former. In a roundtable with choose media together with The Checkered Flag on Friday, Loeb revealed he has “no plan in the meanwhile” to race in WRC once more.
Loeb stepped away from full-time WRC competitors in 2013 after successful his ninth consecutive title, however has often raced once more within the decade since. Whilst a visitor driver, he has gained 4 occasions together with two Monte Carlo Rallies, the most recent in 2022. One other run in 2023 was not possible on account of schedule conflicts with the Dakar Rally and World Rally-Raid Championship.
Whereas he didn’t give a cause for not eyeing a WRC return, Loeb was comparatively lukewarm on the game’s rising electrification although is extra beneficial of the present hybrid mannequin. Though he races within the electric-based Excessive E and FIA World Rallycross Championship, he finds absolutely electrical rallying presents extra points than advantages in the meanwhile.
“I feel every little thing is feasible however the format right now, I’m undecided it shoots utterly to the electrical directed modes,” he defined. “I feel the hybrid is far nearer from what it needs to be as a result of additionally in rallying, you’ll face another issues when you have some automobiles that are making no noise for the spectators, for issues like this, for the present. We’re making the present with the struggle between the automobiles like in rallycross, additionally in WRC, when you have a silent automobile coming alongside, I’m undecided will probably be wonderful. Possibly it’s good to assume to another options.”
With the electrical issue seemingly extra sensible in wheel-to-wheel motorsport, Loeb returns to the sequence he gained in 2022. Regardless of being the defending XE champion, he departed X44 when Prodrive—for whom he races within the W2RC—was changed by Carlin because the staff’s technical ally. He discovered himself at ABT CUPRA XE for the Island X Prix as an alternative to Nasser Al-Attiyah, his W2RC rival who’s competing on the Italian Baja.
Loeb has two wins in Excessive E on the 2021 Jurassic X Prix and the 2022 Copper X Prix.
“The objective after I’m doing a race is at all times to be quick and to struggle for the rostrum, in order that’s the objective of the weekend to have the most effective outcome as potential,” stated Loeb. “It’s a distinct staff however the automobile may be very related. We’ve got all almost the identical automobile, nevertheless it’s fairly a very long time I didn’t drive in Excessive E. It’s good to be again. Sardinia is a pleasant race.
“The plan in the meanwhile is to return for one race. I had this proposition. It’s (been) a very long time since I did so many races. [Nasser] proposed to me if I’d be glad to do one run after which I stated sure. That’s the place we’re in the meanwhile. So it’s no plan for the longer term till now.”
Regardless of not carefully following the sequence since his exit, Loeb famous the elevated parity between the grid. Veloce Racing, who did not win a race of their first two seasons not to mention rating a podium in 2022, was the primary to notch two victories in 2023. ACCIONA | Sainz XE Group additionally scored their maiden win on the second Desert X Prix, whereas X44’s title defence noticed them win the primary Hydro X Prix however has been relegated to the Redemption Race twice.
“What I see is that the extent of the completely different groups are actually shut now,” the Frenchman commented. “Two years in the past, we have been solely two or three guys preventing within the entrance. Now, it’s very equal between all people and even the feminine drivers are very shut from one another. It’s way more tough to make the distinction and so as a result of I feel the extent grew in each staff, the extent right now is de facto, actually excessive.”
After a sluggish Free Follow 1 as he received re-acclimated to the sequence, Loeb set the quickest time of all drivers within the second session, although his staff was disqualified for an underweight automobile.
“I attempted to take my rhythm once more within the observe,” he continued. “It went effectively within the second observe, so every little thing is okay in the meanwhile. Simply hope to have a superb beginning place tomorrow as a result of now the regulation change additionally since I used to be driving, all of the quali are higher. It makes it extra like a chance and never what I want, nevertheless it’s the identical for everyone so we’ll attempt to have a superb begin tomorrow.”
In 2022, X44 completed sixth and second within the two Island X Prix rounds; Loeb’s team-mate at X44 was Cristina Gutiérrez, a fellow W2RC driver who will work with him once more on the 2025 Dakar Rally once they be a part of up with Dacia. Whereas the 2023 Island X Prix is on the Italian Military Capo Teulada Main Coaching Space in Sardinia as in earlier years, the course structure is simply half the scale of 2022’s however a lot sooner.
Whereas he’s a fan of Sardinia, Loeb’s greatest problem might be getting used to the brand new race format. Taking inspiration from the 2022 Island X Prix, Excessive E launched a doubleheader type for 2023 with two rounds of warmth races adopted by both a Redemption Race or Grand Last relying on how one performs within the qualifiers.
“It’s a monitor I like. It’s a little bit of rally driving facet, so it makes it thrilling,” remarked Loeb. “The one factor which is a bit tough might be that we begin all along with many beginning choices. It makes it fairly difficult additionally, however we see plenty of mud within the observe and we all know that if you’re behind, will probably be very tough to to catch and and to overhaul.
“With the brand new rule that makes that the quali is simply linked to your place on the finish of the quali, it makes it a bit completely different from what it was. It’s only a bit extra like a lottery. We all know we’ve good pace, however hopefully we will use it to do a superb race as a result of every little thing is linked to the beginning.”
He additionally had excessive reward for his ABT CUPRA team-mate Klara Andersson. The 2 race towards one another in World RX.
“Working with Klara is excellent. I feel she’s motivated,” he opined. “She has excellent expertise. She has an excellent pure feeling that then we have to work collectively to attempt to optimise the main points and to have the facility to achieve a while right here and there on the monitor. We’re simply in the beginning of this working web site, however for positive, she listens effectively. She desires to enhance and that’s the primary factor. She has good talent, desires to enhance, and needs to win, she’s motivated, so I feel she has every little thing to be a superb team-mate.”
Of their different shared championship, Andersson and Loeb respectively sit seventh and eighth within the World RX RX1e standings. Each drivers, together with factors chief Johan Kristoffersson, Kevin and Timmy Hansen, and Timo Scheider raced in Höljes final weekend earlier than setting off to Italy for XE.
Loeb final raced in World RX in 2018 earlier than returning for 2023 in a Lancia Delta. His rallycross associate Guerlain Chicherit is a W2RC team-mate.
“It’s fairly completely different,” he acknowledged in evaluating Excessive E to World RX. “Rallycross automobiles are a lot lighter. We’re driving with slick tyres primarily on tarmac with some some new gravel part, however the automobiles are lighter, extra highly effective. It’s a distinct type of strategy. Right here, it’s like off-road racing so the automobiles are greater, heavier with massive wheels, lot of suspension journey. The format of races are very related, however the driving of the automobile may be very completely different.”
The variations increase to rally raid as effectively, the place he races a Prodrive Hunter. He’s third within the W2RC standings, having gained a file six straight phases at Dakar in January however his championship pursuit is doubtful amid rumours of disappearing sponsorship.
The Hunter is comparatively much like Excessive E’s Spark ODYSSEY 21, and the latter had made its début on the 2020 Dakar Rally, however each disciplines are nonetheless removed from alike.
“The automobiles are a bit extra related concerning the weight and the scale and and so forth, however right here, we’re doing a stage of three kilometres lengthy in rally, and we’re doing 500-kilometre phases, so it’s one other means of driving,” he continued. “Right here, you attempt to observe the course, to know every nook, to optimise the road like in racing. In rally raid, you might be discovering at all times new issues, difficult locations, dunes, and so forth. It’s fairly completely different. I feel it’s extra shut, rallycross from rally raid, apart from the the type of tracks, however yeah, it’s extra racing struggle than rally raid.”
Apart from rally raid, rallycross, and Excessive E, Loeb ran the Race of Champions in January the place he represented France alongside Adrien Tambay. Sadly, he and his staff have been eradicated within the first rounds of each the Nations Cup and particular person event. He gained the ROC for the fourth time in 2022.
Loeb might be ABT CUPRA’s beginning driver for the primary Island X Prix race day on Saturday. Warmth racing begins at 10 AM native time (CEST).
