Q&A with Sebastien Loeb

Why he is staying put and why 2013 is likely to be his final season

By Franck Drui

19 August 2011 - 10:30
Q&A with Sebastien Loeb

Sebastien Loeb ended months of speculation by signing an extension to his current Citroen contract earlier this week.

He explained why he is staying put and why 2013 is likely to be his final season in the World Rally Championship.

Why did you decide to stay with Citroen?

“I have decided to stay in rallying. I was trying to get some contacts in racing teams, as I really wanted to continue in motorsport, because I don’t want to stay at home when I retire from rallying. Then the decision was getting closer, and as I was still getting some good results, I reckoned that it maybe a bit early to retire from rallying. Then the choice was between Citroen and Volkswagen.”

How seriously did you consider Volkswagen’s offer?

“I had a proposal from Volkswagen. It was interesting, but it was also a hard choice. Developing a new car would have been a nice challenge, but it would mean a quiet season next year and a comeback the season after that, but finally, Citroen showed me how motivated they were to keep me in the team. I had some discussion with the manager of the group and he explained to me how important our relationship was for them. I reckoned that having one year off and then coming back would be very difficult. Here, I know the team, I have a good car and I know that I will have a good car for next year, so all this made me decide to stay.”

Was staying at Citroen the simplest option then?

“No, you cannot say that. For sure I know what I have in this team and I don’t know what I will find somewhere else. It’s never easy to fight for the world title so there’s no easy solution.”

By staying in the world championship you could make it 10 world titles...

“Yes, but I didn’t really think of that. It was just the best decision I had to take. I never expected seven titles in the first place. It is nice to continue, but I have no precise goal.”

But you’ll be up against your team-mate Sebastien Ogier, who is proving a big rival to you...

“I know! If I continue in another team it would be the same because Ogier will also be in the competition. After I took the decision to continue in the rally I knew I would have to fight with him and also the other drivers. That’s it now I’m sure I have a good car.”

Now that you have made your decision, does that take some weight off your shoulders?

“I will now be getting less questions about my future, which means I will be able to concentrate more on the rally and then forget about the business.”

Was there pressure on you to make the decision?

“It’s difficult to put pressure but they really showed me they want to keep me so it’s a sort of pressure. I was happy to see they really believe in what we can achieve together.”

Will 2013 be your final season?

“It’s a long time I say next year is the last. I cannot see my future for more than two years. Now I have a possibility to stop after next year in the contract we’ve done with Citroen. I never know. Maybe next year I will not enjoy as much as now and I will stop. I prefer to have the possibility to stop when I want. I don’t imagine I will drive in 2014 in the rallies.”

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