Kris Meeke: “Sébastien will be in the mix. »

The announcement caused a stir in the microcosm of WRC, and well beyond. Sébastien Loeb will get back behind the wheel of a Citroën DS3 in the World Championship at the opening of the season next January in Monte-Carlo. The nine-time world champion, lined up this season in the WTCC with the chevron brand, will be entered alongside Kris Meeke, recently confirmed by Citroën for the next WRC campaign. The Ulster native believes that Loeb will play the leading roles.

“Seb is one of the best drivers that motorsport has ever known, in all disciplines, and thanks to his season in the WTCC he has no shortage of practice. Okay, the rally it's different and he knows it very well, but he's going to compete in one this weekend to get back into the swing of things and he'll have a test session before Monte-Carlo. I'm sure he'll get off to a flying start, estimates the Northern Irishman on the WRC website. This is not a rally where pure speed is as important as in Finland or other events where conditions can be anticipated. In Monte-Carlo, it's more a question of feeling and managing icy and complicated conditions. Seb is one of the masters of this rally, having won it seven times, so I think he will set the bar high. »

Before presenting himself at the start in the Principality, Loeb will be at the start this weekend of the final of the French Rally Championship in the Var on a DS3 prepared by Citroën Racing, to complete a real life-size test session.