Sébastien
Loeb
France
·
Rally
Date of birth | February 26, 1974 |
|---|---|
Birthplace | Alsace |
Age | 51 |
Nationality | France |
Career start | 1995 |
Disciplines | Rally WRC / Dakar Series |
Rally driving requires unwavering concentration, incredible skill and a very cool head. Thankfully, these are qualities that Sébastien Loeb has in spades; his domination of the sport has earned him the nickname of Le Patron, or ‘The Boss’!
Loeb’s sporting prowess was apparent from an early age when he became a four-time Alsatian champion in gymnastics. But in 1995, he quit gymnastics and his job to focus on competitive driving.
In 1998 he contested the French Citroën Saxo Trophy series, winning the title in 1999 before entering the Junior World Rally Championship in 2001. It was there that he made a name for himself thanks to victories in five of the six events.
His first drive in the WRC came in 2002 with the Citroën Total World Rally Team. Incredibly, Loeb won nine consecutive WRC titles between 2004 and 2012, as well as 78 WRC events (and counting) – more than double the number of any other driver in the sport.
What’s more, since 2005 he has won pretty much every event held on asphalt and in 2009 was awarded the Legion d’Honneur. Underlining his status as one of history’s all-time driving greats, he also won the Race of Champions in 2003, 2005 and 2008, finished second at Le Mans 24 Hours in 2006 and won the rallycross finale in his first appearance at the star-studded X Games in 2012.
Unsurprisingly, 2013 also brought great success. Loeb claimed second place at World Rally Sweden and stormed to victory at the WRC in Argentina.
After almost a decade at the top, Loeb continues to demonstrate that he isn't done yet. In 2015 he turned his hand to a new discipline, taking on the FIA World Touring Car Championship and finishing in third place overall for the season.
The most successful man in the history of the WRC then set his sights on the toughest race the planet has to offer, taking on the Dakar Rally in a state-of-the-art Peugeot 2008 DKR 16.
Loeb was reunited with former team-mate Carlos Sainz, as well as fellow countrymen Stéphane Peterhansel and Cyril Despres, as part of Team Peugeot Total's stellar line-up for the 2016 Dakar Rally.
He made a characteristically strong start, leading the early part of the race before encountering some of the tough conditions the rally is known for. He ended up with four stage wins and ninth place overall – an incredible Dakar debut.
He next turned his expert hand to yet another racing discipline, taking on the World Rallycross Championship in a Peugeot 208 WRX and finishing top-five overall in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
When Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena turned their attention back to rally-raid they finished as runners-up at the 2016 Silk Way Rally, a performance they then went on to repeat at the Dakar in 2017. The pair couldn't match that feat in 2018, retiring on day five after an injury to Elena.
In December 2017 it was confirmed that the nine-time champion would be returning to race in the WRC for Citroën, with Loeb and Elena set to take part in three races in 2018; Mexico, Corsica and Spain.
Another podium finish followed in the 2019 Dakar, with four stage wins and an overall third place, while continuing to compete in some of the rallies in the 2019 and 2020 World Rally Championship for Hyundai.
The nine-time WRC champion started 2021 with a fifth appearance at the Dakar Rally, but was forced to retire during Stage 8. He then drove to second place overall in the inaugural Extreme E championship alongside team-mate Cristina Gutiérrez.
Loeb returned to Dakar Rally action in 2022 in Saudi Arabia, where he finished second behind Nasser Al-Attiyah. After that he announced another WRC outing, this time with M-Sport, initially just for the first event of the 2022 season - the infamous Monte-Carlo Rally – which he went out and won in incredible fashion, before going on to finish second overall in the first-ever FIA World Rally-Raid Championship, including victory in the Andalucia Rally.
He then capped off a memorable year by winning the 2022 Extreme E Championship as he once again teamed up with Cristina Gutiérrez.
Loeb scored another second-place Dakar Rally finish in 2023, winning seven stages of the event along the way. His return to the rally in 2024 saw the Frenchman pushing for victory before mechanical issues ruined his chances during the penultimate stage. However, he was still able to win five stages and finish in third place overall.
Now, he's linked up with Dakar champions Nasser Al-Attiyah and Cristina Gutiérrez in the new Dacia Sandriders Team in the quest to score his first win in the world's biggest rally race - and a second place in the Rallye du Maroc proving ground shows he's ready to do just that.
Rally legend Sébastien Loeb
© Kin Marcin/Red Bull Content Pool
Sébastien Ogier in action in Japan
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
Sébastien Loeb gets the lowdown from co-driver Fabian Lurquin
© Kin Marcin/Red Bull Content Pool
Sébastien Loeb chases down leader Carlos Sainz
© Eric Vargiolu/DPPI/Red Bull Content Pool