Sebastien Loeb Interview

Loeb on Extreme E, Lewis Hamilton & Horse Sized Ducks

Sebastien Loeb is the most successful driver in the World Rally Championship and has pretty much-done everything else too, including winning the Race of Champions and finishing the Dakar in second place earlier this year. But he’s also one-half of Lewis Hamilton’s X44 team in Extreme E where he’s partnered with Cristina Gutierrez.

That’s what the nine-time rally champion and I talked about recently as well as how he got into motorsport to begin with, what surprised him when he was taking part in the Extreme E legacy projects and more.

Check out the interview in full below.

What first got you into motorsport?

I didn’t start out in motorsport as early as most other drivers, but I have always been interested in pushing myself to the limit and trying new things. As a teenager I was a champion gymnast so a lot of my focus was there, but at the same time me and my friends were also racing a lot – on bikes, and mopeds and whatever we were allowed to race. As long as I was winning I was happy! I worked as an electrician for a time too to raise money so I could race, but when I reached my early twenties I decided I wanted to fully commit to motorsport and that’s when I really started following it as a dream. There were a few years in my twenties where I was winning races and driving fast but I didn’t have the money to race full time, luckily I got there in the end with some help from others, and I was able to show what I could do.

Image: Extreme E Media Centre

Why did you want to become involved with Extreme E?

When the idea of Extreme E first came to me I was immediately interested in finding out more. I always want to try new disciplines – I have done rally, rallycross, endurance racing, cross country, and I’ve even driven a Formula 1 car – so I was straight away excited by the idea of adding a new kind of race to my list of experiences. Then, of course, I started hearing names of who would be involved and there were many people I admire like Lewis, Carlos Sainz, Jutta Kleinschmidt, and my former teammate Timmy Hansen, so as soon as Lewis came to me and asked me to be on his team I was ready to say yes!

How does Extreme E differ from what you’ve done before?

Before last year, I hadn’t had the opportunity to race properly in an electric car, so racing for X44 was my first time and so far, it has been an incredible learning experience. I was at first worried about whether I would feel the car in the same way as I have before, and yes it is different but you can adapt quickly. If I am being totally honest, the issue of the environment was something I knew about but that I hadn’t really considered before in terms of how I could help, or how I could use my experience to change things. But as I watch my daughter grow up I do worry about her future and what the world is going to be like for her generation, so having this opportunity to try and raise awareness of climate change, and to use my platform to try and change things – for me that is really special.

Do you have a favourite moment from racing for X44 so far?

My favourite moment racing for X44 was the end of the first season and winning the Jurassic X Prix. We came first in qualifying at every race in Season 1 so we knew we had the speed, but even though Cristina and myself were driving well and the team of mechanics and engineers were working really hard to give us an advantage, we had faced bad luck in every final and had missed out on three podiums due to issues outside of our control. So to finally share the podium with the team and celebrate a win was very special and something I will remember for a long time.

What has been the most challenging thing for you in Extreme E and how have you overcome it?

The challenge for me is coming so early into the series when things are still being worked out. It’s a very exciting time but it can be challenging too, as we all have to figure out as a series how to drive these cars and to avoid any issues as much as possible. For me I prefer to spend more time on the track than I usually do in an Extreme E race week, but the terrain is so extreme, and the batteries can only last a certain amount of time, so for now it is not possible. As technology advances and we learn more about how things work I think this is something that will change.

Image: Extreme E Media Centre

Is there something from the legacy projects that you learnt that surprised you and that everyone else should know?

For me the most surprising legacy project was in Greenland last year. I think that most people don’t realise just how quickly the ice caps are melting in that part of the world, and what that will mean for the planet and rising sea levels. If I could share one message though, it would not be a scary one. I would say that there are many people working hard to try and change what is happening, and we can all have a positive impact.
What is it like having Lewis Hamilton as a team boss?

I’m very proud to be racing for Lewis. He is often in touch with me, Cristina and the team and he always offers us advice and asks questions to see where he can help us and offer any support. He is still racing himself in Formula 1 of course so we can have good conversations as drivers where each understands the other very easily – you can see in the Extreme E documentary where he is talking to Cristina about the track and what it is like, we don’t have to explain too much to him!

Would you rather fight 100 duck sized horses or a horse sized duck?

I don’t think that fighting any animals would be very good for the planet, but I would quite like to meet the horse sized duck.

Author: Thiemo Albers-Daly