Although French rally ace Sébastien Loeb is regarded as the favourite to win the Monte Carlo Rally this weekend, Citroën team boss Guy Fréquelin says that he is “nervous” about the event.
Although French rally ace Sébastien Loeb is regarded as the favourite to win the Monte Carlo Rally this weekend, Citroën team boss Guy Fréquelin says that he is “nervous” about the event.
Aware that his driver is the favourite to win, Fréquelin remains wary of the unpredictable Monte Carlo course.
“The biggest unknown remains the event itself,” said Fréquelin. “It’s difficult because it’s so fickle. It’s a rally on which it is possible to switch from Catalunya to Swedish grip levels in an instant. I know that only too well and I could never feel totally serene prior to the start. Our results in Monaco in the last two years are positive, but we don’t want to be brash.”
Citroën and Loeb won this tough rally last year, and were the fastest in 2002 before Loeb was excluded for a minor infringement.
“As far as the pressure that goes with being favourite is concerned, that’s something I have already experienced on last year’s Monte and in Germany,” Loeb said.
“It’s a phenomenon that fades away as soon as you put your helmet on. I am very aware that you can be caught out in a fraction of a second on an event like the Monte.”