The new WRC world champion talked to redbull.com about the past, the present and the future after taking the title in his homeland.
‘Sébastien Loeb: seven-time world champion’ – it’s an accolade he’s going to have to get used to, and such is his domination of world rallying that he now has exactly double the number of victories – 60 – to the next most successful driver, Marcus Grönholm on 30. We caught up with the French hero once the dust had settled…
What’s it like to become world champion for the seventh time?
Basically, it’s a dream come true. It’s a massive thing and actually quite an emotional moment for me. I don’t get emotional very often, so that’s quite unusual for me. But to see all those people out there for me was something that was very touching.
How stressed were you feeling on the final day?
Actually, the last day was quite stress-free for me: it was the two days before when I felt most nervous. By Saturday night, I was feeling quite calm again: I’d sort of had time to prepare myself for what was going to happen, which made it all a bit easier for me. The second run through the long stage on Sunday was cancelled, and while I feel sorry for the spectators who trekked out there, I can’t honestly say that it made me unhappy.
'I’m definitely going to continue at Citroën next year and then at the end of next year I’ll decide what I’m going to do' – Sébastien Loeb
What were you most afraid of?
I was actually most afraid of screwing up the final superspecial stage in Haguenau. That really would have been a bit much… I’m also sorry that that I didn’t get the chance to stop for a moment in Oberhoffen, the village where I grew up. I saw a few friends gathered there and it would have been nice to have stopped to say hello, even if just for a few seconds, but there really wasn’t the time.
How do you prepare for the really important rallies, like the last one?
I don’t actually do anything too different from one rally to the next, but as France was an all-new event I took extra care to study the in-car videos really well. I tried to keep my media commitments to the minimum, although that didn’t really work. The night before the rally I just went out to dinner with some old friends: I wanted to clear my head and talk about something other than the rally. We had a laugh, which did me a lot of good, but it was just a quick one as I had to be in bed by 10pm. Then on Friday night, once the rally was underway, I couldn’t sleep. I think I finally drifted off at 1am. It must have been the excitement…
Does winning the title again change the way that you look at the future?
No, not really. In any case, I know all about the future for next year already. I’m definitely going to continue at Citroën next year and then at the end of next year I’ll decide what I’m going to do. If I feel like I do right now, then I’ll carry on. If I don’t, then I’ll stop. But I don’t think anybody ever knows exactly how they will be feeling in a year’s time.
And how about for the rest of this year?
I’m just going to enjoy it, as there’s no real pressure now. Straight after winning in France I didn’t have too much time to celebrate as we headed directly to Portugal for a test with the new DS3 [which replaces the trusty C4 next season]. Next up we have the rallies of Spain and Great Britain, both rallies I enjoy, where I’ll still be pushing hard to win. In that respect, having the title doesn’t change things…
Read more about WRC France here
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