Loeb: “Not the rally we were hoping for”

Sébastien Loeb was only able to secure 6th place in the Rally Monte-Carlo alors qu’il évoluait au pied du podium provisoire en abordant la dernière journée. Le pilote Hyundai a effectué un mauvais choix de pneus qui a considérablement compliqué sa tâche, ses gommes souffrant sur les routes sèches de l’épreuve.

“It was certainly not the rally we were hoping for, admitted the nine-time world champion. It was complicated throughout the weekend, but it seems that the planets were not aligned for us. We were doing well until the second stage, but the last day came down to tire choice and ours was not the right one for the conditions. »

Sébastien Loeb was unable to maintain his position, making a mistake and avoiding the worst by playing it safe afterwards.

“We were already in difficulty at the end of the first stage and I spun in a hairpin on the next course because I had no front grip, added the Alsatian. We then simply had to reach the finish line while preserving our tires until the end. It's not pleasant to ride in these conditions but it was all we could do and we never give up. »

Despite the abandonment ofOtt Tänak, Hyundai pointe en tête du championnat Constructeurs avec 2 points d’avance sur Toyota avec la victoire de Thierry Neuville.

Discover the analysis of the Monte-Carlo Rally carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2252 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.