For Loeb, the WRC begins in Finland!

From Poland to Finland, there is only one step? and a few weeks that Sébastien Loeb took the opportunity to decompress. Fourth in Sardinia, off the road in Greece, seventh in Poland, the Frenchman really needed a little break to erase this triple disappointment: “ Contrary to what I have read here and there, I did not spend my vacation in a simulator. F1 ! I took advantage of this little break to have a little good time. Friends came to the house and we enjoyed the barbecue and the swimming pool. We spent a sporting weekend in the Alps, with mountain biking, rafting, kayaking? »

At the start of the last third of the championship, the Citroën C4 driver knows that he must be 100% focused on his objective, without increasing the pressure too much: “ Last year, I won in Finland while I was three points behind Mikko. This time, I only have one point to make up, but there are only four rallies left. For me, it's as if the WRC was starting now. It might be exciting until the end? unless one of us gives up. Ten points behind would be impossible to make up for on a regular basis. »

If this doesn't change anything on a mathematical level, Sébastien Loeb was reassured to learn that his withdrawal during the first day of the Rally of Poland had undoubtedly not been caused by pilot error: “ If I had seen the stump that caused our abandonment during reconnaissance, we would have noted it and I would have modified my trajectory accordingly. But there, I placed my wheels exactly where I wanted them. During the impact, the front suspension cradle broke. As every time we encounter a problem, the team analyzed this part. They discovered a major weakness caused by a manufacturing problem. Without this weakness, the cradle would perhaps have absorbed the shock? »

A good point for morale at a time when the five-time World Champion must regain control. With four rallies to end the season, mistakes are no longer allowed: “ We saw last year that we can compete with the Finns at home. Everyone will discover Rally Australia, so I would say we will start on an equal footing. In Catalonia, we theoretically have the advantage, but I don't forget that Mikko has made big progress on the asphalt. We will finish in Wales, a rally that we won last year but on which Mikko will also be very comfortable. What is certain is that a victory in Finland would give me a psychological advantage going forward? »