Rallye de France: three questions to Sébastien Ogier

Over the course of the last three rallies you have scored more points than any of your rivals. Do you think that somehow you have turned a corner?

“Compared to our direct rivals we are younger and we have less experience, but with every rally we’re beginning to build up more of what is necessary to succeed in the WRC. The Citroën C4 WRC is a benchmark in its field and we are very well integrated into the team. All these parameters help us to make progress and get some good results. Currently, we’re on a very good upward curve.”

For the first time, you’ll be driving a Citroën C4 WRC in France. Do you think you will get some special support?

“It’s going to be a real pleasure driving at home in France. We’re going to be able to rely on the loyal support of our fans, even though I imagine that all of Alsace will be behind Sébastien Loeb! It feels a little bit like going back to my roots as I drove in Alsace before in 1997, which was only my second season of rallying. But I’m not putting any extra pressure on myself. It’s a new rally and it will be important to prepare for it well on the recce. It’s going to be vital to have the right pace notes. And that’s an area in which myself and Julien Ingrassia are quite strong.”

Even though you’re known by some people as a gravel specialist, your initial performances on asphalt with the Citroën C4 WRC have been remarkable. What are your objectives in France?

“We got off to a very good start in Bulgaria by fighting with Dani Sordo and Petter Solberg. In Germany it was more difficult, as we were dealing with roads that we did not know as well as our rivals did. In France this year, where nobody has any more experience than anybody else, we will hopefully be able to play our trump card. Our goal is reduce the gap that we have compared to the best drivers on asphalt.”