Loeb: Red Bull wanted him for a few Grand Prix
In an interview with the Red Bulletin, a small magazine published by Red Bull, Sébastien Loeb revisited the possibility, previously mentioned, that he could have raced in F1 in 2009.
A few days before the start of the 2012 World Rally Championship, with the first event being the legendary Monte Carlo Rally, Sébastien Loeb, eight-time world champion, reflected on an episode over two years ago, during which the possibility of him driving a Formula 1 car for the final race of the 2009 season in Abu Dhabi was discussed.
« I did a few good laps during tests with Red Bull. » The Frenchman had indeed been invited in 2008 to official tests by the red bull brand, which also sponsored the Citroën team in WRC, where he ranked 8th out of 17 participants. It wasn’t the first time he got into an F1 car, as he had the opportunity to do so for a Total advertising operation in 2007 during which Heikki Kovalainen – then with Renault – and he exchanged their seats.
Loeb continued: « Their idea was to have me for a few Grand Prix (following Sébastien Bourdais’ ousting, notably). But it wasn’t possible. I had no particular ambition to do it. » These statements contradict those reported at the time, suggesting a real desire from the Alsatian to compete in the top discipline.
« I could have driven for Toro Rosso. It wasn’t a car that could win. I wasn’t prepared for that. I would have gotten into the car in Abu Dhabi in 2009 and started the race without any prior testing session ». The Frenchman ultimately wasn’t granted the Super License by the FIA, an essential permit for any driver with the ambition to race in official sessions, as the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile considered that his track experience was insufficient.
Sebastien Loeb’s career outside of rally tracks led him, in 2006, to finish second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the Pescarolo-Judd team, within a crew he formed with Eric Hélary and Franck Montagny. At the end of 2011, he announced the creation of the Sebastien Loeb Racing Team, competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup France.
As a reminder, the Frenchman was not the first rally driver to have the favor of F1: Hannu Mikkola (world champion in 1983 with Audi) was given an Arrows in 1984, Colin McRae (world champion in 1995 with Subaru) drove the Jordan 195, Tommi Mäkinen (world champion in 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999 with Mitsubishi) got behind the wheel of a Williams FW19, Carlos Sainz (champion in 1990 with Toyota) had a test with the 2005 Renault and, finally, Dani Sordo – then Loeb’s teammate at Citroen – also took part in the Total promotional event in 2007.
