Frenchman Sébastien Loeb (M-Sport Ford), who turns 48 on February 26, has become the oldest driver to win in the world championship (WRC)
after his victory at the Rallye Monte-Carlo ahead of Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) on Sunday.
First victory without Elena and without Citroën
With his new co-driver Isabelle Galmiche, the nine-time world champion, now separated from Daniel Elena, offered himself an 80th victory in the WRC and an 8th Monte-Carlo. He equals the success record in the Principality held by his compatriot Ogier, unfortunate 2nd after a puncture in the penultimate special when he was enjoying with a comfortable lead of 24.6 seconds on Sunday morning.
It is Loeb’s first success since the 2018 Rally of Catalonia, when he only very occasionally competes in rallies. Winner at the wheel of a Ford Puma, it is also the first time that he has won on a car other than a Citroën, the manufacturer with which he aligned nine consecutive world titles from 2004 to 2012.
The record of Swede Björn Waldegard, who won the Safari Rally in Kenya in 1990 at the age of 46 years and five months, is therefore erased by the Alsatian of 47 years, ten months and 28 days this Sunday. “Of course I’m very happy, I didn’t expect so good coming here, it was a superb battle, Ogier was really fast”, reacted Loeb, after throwing himself into the arms of his companion and before getting on the podium for the Marseillaise.
He had just returned from the Dakar
Driver with record longevity, twenty years now separate his first victory in the premier class in 2002 (Germany) and his last, the 80th for his 181st start. As for the Monegasque event, he won it in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013 and 2022.
The Alsatian therefore won the first WRC rally with hybrid technology. With an electric motor in addition to the internal combustion engine, the pilots occasionally benefited from a power surplus. Back in the WRC for at least this rally, the veteran had not raced in the discipline last year. For his first rally with the M-Sport team, he benefited from a new Puma very well born to make the most of this new technology, despite fewer days of testing than the other drivers and after finishing 2nd in the Dakar. in Saudi Arabia (January 1-14).