Citroën accepts its sanction

Sébastien Loeb lost, during technical checks, the success he had acquired during the 33 special stages contested in the Antipodes. The race stewards, after carefully examining the car of the five-time world champion, concluded that the anti-roll link of the Citroën C4 was non-compliant. WRC #1. The C4s of Loeb/Elena, Sordo/Marti and Ogier/Ingrassia being identical, the three crews were each given a penalty of one minute.

The sanction has especially serious consequences for Sébastien Loeb, who loses two points by falling to second place, while Mikko Hirvonen gleans two points by taking victory. Despite everything, the five-time world champion accepts the sanction philosophically. “ I am obviously disappointed, but we must accept the correct application of the regulations. »

Without being dejected, the Alsatian nevertheless recognizes that this sanction puts him in a difficult situation in order to keep his world crown. “ This complicates our task in winning a sixth title, but we will get there Rally from Spain with the same desire to win »

For Olivier Quesnel, the observation is the same: the sanction is logical and must be accepted. “ We accept this decision to the extent that the photo on the homologation form does not correspond to the parts fitted to the cars. This difference does not bring any gain in terms of performance or reliability, it is only an administrative error and not a desire to cheat », Explains the boss of Citroën Racing. Olivier Quesnel, annoyed by this penalty, knows that this technical error hampers the efforts made all weekend by his crews. “ I would like to apologize, personally and on behalf of the team, to Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena, who achieved a magnificent victory on the special stages this weekend. »

In Spain, Sébastien Loeb will arrive five points behind Mikko Hirvonen in the general classification. If the Frenchman thinks that his only opponent is the Finn, he will have to count on the help of Dani Sordo to win the title of drivers' world champion. The Spaniard proved he could compete with the world championship leader when he took second place on Rally Australia after SS32. It will therefore take a Citroën Loeb-Sordo double in Spain for the Frenchman to be able to approach the last event of the season, the Rally of Great Britain, in the best conditions. Unless luck turns against Mikko Hirvonen on the roads of Catalonia.