Loeb tries new WRC project car but rules out Monte Carlo return

Sébastien Loeb, the French nine-time World Rally champion, has taken part in tests of a new Rally1 car built by the Belgian team Project Rally One, which is preparing to debut in the World Rally Championship (WRC) in 2027. Loeb made clear, however, that this does not signal a comeback: he said nobody should expect him at next year's season-opening Monte Carlo Rally.

The team held two days of testing. European Rally champion Teemu Suninen also took part. He drove in rainy conditions, while Loeb had dry roads on Friday. The team said it wants to cover as many kilometres as possible in varied weather and on different surfaces.

Participation started as a rumour

It was already known that Suninen would help with gravel testing, but Loeb's involvement had initially been only a rumour. The team later confirmed it and said both drivers gave positive feedback and made a very significant contribution to the car's development.

Loeb's participation raised questions about a possible return to the WRC, as he won the 2022 Monte Carlo Rally in a Ford in a sensational result. Speaking to DirtFish, he explained that the opportunity arose by chance: he has a good relationship with Lionel Hansen, who is involved in the project, and Loeb himself happened to be in the Vosges region, where the team was testing.

Loeb's impressions

Loeb knows Hansen from an earlier rally in which they competed in a Porsche GT3. He said he wanted to understand what the new WRC car is like. Overall the Frenchman was satisfied with the car, though he admitted he would have liked a little more power. The new Rally1 cars produce about 310 horsepower.

Loeb noted that in terms of power the car cannot be compared with the 2017 Ford Fiesta WRC, which he drove at the Rallye des Vosges a few months ago, but said the feeling was quite good.