Hyundai Motorsport’s Sebastien Loeb admits that “you never know what to expect” on Rallye Monte-Carlo as the nine-time WRC champion prepares to enter the first round of the season.
In a similar situation to last year, Loeb will share the third i20 Coupe WRC with former Citroen teammate Dani Sordo throughout 2020 and the Frenchman is the man to get the season underway alongside defending world champion Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville in the three car team.
Talking ahead of the first round of the year next week, Loeb said: “You never know what to expect at Rallye Monte-Carlo. It could be fully dry, wet or feature a lot of snow, which changes the driving conditions. It can even change between the stages and the road sections, which means tyre choice is even more important. You need to find the right rhythm to be fast without taking major risks.”
“This rally you need to approach with your head; it’s not just flat out, it’s a question of reflection. My previous experience feels like a long time ago, so the rallies feel newer to me than other drivers. We only had one day in the car before Monte-Carlo last year, so hopefully with our current knowledge of the car we will be able to get an even better result than last year.”
Loeb last season also entered Rallye Monte-Carlo with the team and took a fine fourth place finish. He went on to enter a total of six events in 2019 with a best finish of third on Rally Chile.
Rallye Monte-Carlo takes place between January 23-26.
