If that isn’t enough of an achievement for one man, it’s still worth considering that in an alternate reality, Loeb could also be remembered as a Formula 1 driver—and likely a successful one at that.
Over the course of his career, Loeb has competed not only in rallying but also in events such as the Dakar Rally and the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, one significant area of motorsport remained unconquered for the Frenchman: Formula 1.
Fifteen years ago, Loeb had the opportunity to pursue his F1 dream. However, that dream ended almost as quickly as it began.
During the latter part of the 2007 WRC season, Loeb was locked in a fierce championship battle with Marcus Grönholm, and F1 was certainly not on his mind at that point. Yet soon after, it was revealed that Loeb would have the chance to test Renault’s F1 car.
Loeb took part in an unofficial F1 test. By this stage, he already had experience in circuit racing, having competed in Le Mans. However, his primary focus was on the 2008 WRC season. With Marcus Grönholm retiring and Mikko Hirvonen stepping up as Ford’s lead driver, the upcoming season was expected to be challenging for the Frenchman. Ultimately, it turned out to be an astonishingly strong campaign, even by his standards.
In the 2008 season, Loeb won 11 rallies, including a long-awaited victory in Finland, securing an emphatic world championship title.
Behind the scenes, though, there were developments that received little public attention at the time. Red Bull had become a major sponsor of Citroën, which led to Loeb being offered another chance to test an F1 car. This time, it was an official F1 test, raising the stakes significantly compared to the previous year. However, Loeb didn’t necessarily view it that way.
“It was nearly every year when I was world champion – because it was every year! – that Red Bull always wanted to make a little present for me. One year it was the tour with an acrobatic helicopter and this year, it was a test with the Formula 1 [car], because they knew that I liked Formula 1 and followed it.,” Loeb told DirtFish.
“So they offered me the chance to test the car in an official test in Barcelona. It just came up like this and it was an incredible opportunity to be able to test a car like this,” Loeb added.
Loeb himself was keen to emphasise that he didn’t see Formula 1 as a career option.
“Honestly, at this moment, I didn’t see it as an opportunity for the future,” the Frenchman admitted.
“But it’s not every day that you get a chance to drive a Formula 1 car so I tried to do it quite seriously,” he continued.
Loeb didn’t fare badly in the tests. He recorded the eighth-fastest time among 17 drivers—a sensational performance considering how little experience he had in circuit racing at that point.
Few may remember, but Loeb was genuinely considered for a seat in the 2009 F1 season. Red Bull’s sister team driver Sébastien Bourdais had a poor first half of the season, and Loeb emerged as a potential replacement. At the time, Loeb stated he was ready to join Formula 1 if everything fell into place. It never did.
Bourdais was sacked by Toro Rosso mid-season and replaced by Jaime Alguersuari—not Sébastien Loeb.
“After this test [in 2008], we arrived in another situation. It’s one day I still remember well as we were flying back from the Argentina Rally. I had the motorsport boss from Red Bull that called me, and he asked me if I would be interested in finishing the Formula 1 season to replace Bourdais I think at this time,” Loeb revealed.
“So, for sure, it’s not something you can say no to, and we started to work around this project, and I started to train physically for it,” Loeb continued.
Meanwhile, in the WRC, Loeb began encountering difficulties.
“Things started to become a bit trickier in my rallying program. I was leading the championship but I think I had one mechanical problem, one crash and then another problem in another rally, and then I lost the lead of the championship,” Loeb recalled.
“And from that point, Red Bull said that maybe it was not the right time, and that I should concentrate more on the rally and less on Formula 1,” Loeb added.
In the 2009 season, Loeb engaged in an intense championship battle with Mikko Hirvonen. The Frenchman won the title again but by only a single point. Even at this stage, Loeb’s F1 dream wasn’t entirely dead. He was offered the chance to compete in the final race of the F1 season in Abu Dhabi. However, the FIA denied Loeb a super licence, without which participating in an F1 race is impossible.
“So that was the end of the Formula 1 story,” Loeb said.
The matter has continued to gnaw at Loeb. While he hasn’t lost sleep over it, it’s something he still regrets.
“My only regret is that it would have been fun to do it. I told myself that I will probably only have one opportunity like this in my life,” at the time, Loeb told his official website.
