Currently driving for Citroën, Rossel leads the WRC2 championship — the second tier of the World Rally Championship. Rossel has long been considered one of the hottest prospects in the category, but he has yet to get the opportunity to prove himself at the top level.
Last year’s champion Sami Pajari and Oliver Solberg are prime examples that chances do come, but in the current WRC landscape, opportunities in the top class are scarce. At present, only two fully fledged factory teams — Toyota and Hyundai — are competing, with M-Sport operating with limited support from Ford.
Rossel believes his performances in WRC2 warrant a chance in the Rally1 class.
“Yes. I think I deserve that,” Rossel stated bluntly to DirtFish.
“And my co-driver [Arnaud Dunand] also. We work, I think, like a Rally1 driver. We have the same condition, but for sure, for the moment, I don’t know if I have the level to be a world champion in WRC, but if you don’t have opportunity, you don’t ever know,” he pointed out.
The French are traditionally a very proud nation. Only victory is good enough for them.
“My philosophy was, and is, to win every championship before the Rally1,” Rossel emphasised.
“For sure, I never win the WRC2, but I win a lot of rally, I think. I play for the win on every surface. But for the moment, the situation of the WRC is like that,” Rossel said.
Rossel’s next goal is crystal clear.
“For sure, my target is just to be in Rally1 and my dream. And after, when I am in Rally1, my dream would be to be a world champion. But for the moment, my dream is just to have an opportunity in Rally1,” he outlined.
The WRC rules are set to change in 2027. For now, Citroën has no plans to build a Rally1 car, but Rossel’s current machine — the Citroën C3 Rally2 — could still be very competitive in the future if the 2027 plans materialise.
“For me the plan is just to be as fast as I can with the top guys and for sure it’s not in WRC2, but for the moment I learn a lot and I improve I think also,” Rossel said, adding:
“But for sure if you want to be a real world champion you need to be in Rally1. The plan now is to be on the top in WRC2, in all the levels, and if you are on top in WRC2, you can be ready for 2027.”
