Nine-Time World Rally Champion · WRC

Sébastien Loeb

Nine world titles in a row, 80 rally wins, and every major win record in the World Rally Championship. The official Loeb collection: the Xsara, the C4, the DS3 and eleven seasons of Citroën red.

Nationality
French
Born
26 February 1974 · Haguenau, France
WRC teams
Citroën · Kronos Citroën · Hyundai · M-Sport Ford
Co-drivers
Daniel Elena · Isabelle Galmiche
Championships
9 (2004–2012), consecutive
Records
Most WRC wins, podiums and stage wins
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Graphic illustration of legendary nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb wearing his iconic Citroën racing suit and standing alongside his rally car.
Nine-Time World Rally Champion
1999 — 2022
9
World Championships
80
WRC Victories
120
Podium Finishes
949
Stage Wins

Who is Sébastien Loeb?

Sébastien Loeb (born 26 February 1974) is a French rally driver who won nine consecutive World Rally Championship titles from 2004 to 2012 with Citroën. He holds the championship records for event wins, with 80, as well as podium finishes and stage wins. A former gymnast, he won his last WRC rally at Monte Carlo in 2022, aged 47.

Full name
Sébastien Loeb
Nationality
French
WRC career
1999–2022
Best known for
Nine consecutive world titles

By Kozmozracing Editorial Published Updated 7 sources

Rider Profile

Sébastien Loeb: Full Biography

Sébastien Loeb is a French rally and racing driver who won nine consecutive World Rally Championship titles between 2004 and 2012, and who holds the championship records for event wins, podium finishes and stage wins.

From Gymnastics to Rallying Loeb was a gymnast first, four times champion of Alsace, and only switched to rallying in 1995. He won the Junior World Rally Championship in 2001, was signed by Citroën for 2002, and took his first world championship win that year at Rallye Deutschland with co-driver Daniel Elena.

Nine in a Row After losing the 2003 championship to Petter Solberg by a single point, he won every title from 2004 to 2012 — eleven wins in 2008 alone. On tarmac he was close to unbeatable, winning all but three of the World Championship tarmac rallies he entered between 2005 and 2013.

Everything Else He stepped back from full-time rallying after 2012 but kept winning: Rally Catalunya in 2018, and the Monte Carlo Rally in 2022 for his 80th victory, a week after finishing second on the Dakar. He has also raced touring cars, at Le Mans, in rallycross, and won the 2022 Extreme E title for Lewis Hamilton’s Team X44.

The Career

Three Chapters That Defined Sébastien Loeb

Chapter 01

The Gymnast Who Went Rallying

Loeb came to cars late. He was a gymnast, four times champion of Alsace, and only started rallying in 1995. Six years later he won the Junior World Rally Championship, which put him in a Citroën for 2002 and produced a first world championship victory at Rallye Deutschland in the same season. In 2003 he lost the championship to Petter Solberg by one point. It was the last time for a decade that anyone finished a season ahead of him.

Sebastien Loeb drove the iconic Citroën Xsara WRC to secure his first World Rally Championship (WRC) titles. Alsace · Junior WRC · Citroën Photo: Sebastien Loeb’s Citroën Xsara WRC by Dave Hamster / Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · licence
Chapter 02

Nine

From 2004 to 2012 Loeb won every drivers' championship: nine in a row, with Daniel Elena alongside him for all of them. The peak was 2008, with eleven rally wins from fifteen starts. On tarmac the margin was absurd — between 2005 and 2013 he won every World Championship tarmac rally he entered but three. Sébastien Ogier equalled the nine titles in 2025, but the records for event wins, podiums and stage wins are still Loeb's.

Sebastien Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen's cars at the Colmar Assistance Park during the Rally France-Alsace 2012. Citroën · 2004–2012 Photo: Sebastien Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen's cars by Florival fr / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · licence
Chapter 03

Still Winning at Forty-Seven

He left full-time rallying after 2012 and kept adding to the total anyway: Rally Catalunya in 2018 at 44, then the Monte Carlo Rally in January 2022 for win number 80, with Isabelle Galmiche in the co-driver's seat and barely a week after he had finished second on the Dakar. Along the way he raced touring cars, ran at Le Mans, competed in rallycross, and took the 2022 Extreme E championship driving for Lewis Hamilton's Team X44.

Sebastien Loeb at Le Mans Classic 2018 2013–2022 · part-time, everywhere Photo: Sebastien Loeb at Le Mans Classic 2018 by Y.Leclercq / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · licence
Career Timeline

Sébastien Loeb Career Timeline: 1974–Present

Born in Haguenau

Sébastien Loeb is born on 26 February in Haguenau, Alsace, and becomes a competitive gymnast.

Switches to rallying

Leaves gymnastics for rallying after four Alsace championships in the gym.

World Championship debut

Enters his first WRC event, Rally Catalunya, in a private entry.

Junior world champion

Wins the Junior World Rally Championship and is signed by Citroën.

First WRC victory

Wins Rallye Deutschland with Daniel Elena, the first of 80.

One point short

Finishes runner-up to Petter Solberg in the closest championship of his career.

First world title

Takes the drivers' championship for Citroën, the first of nine in succession.

Eleven wins in a season

Wins eleven rallies on the way to a fifth consecutive title.

Ninth consecutive title

Wins the championship for the ninth year running, then reduces his programme.

Winning again

Takes Rally Catalunya at 44, in a part-time Citroën entry.

Eightieth win

Wins the Monte Carlo Rally with Isabelle Galmiche, a week after finishing second on the Dakar Rally.

Extreme E champion

Wins the Extreme E title alongside Cristina Gutiérrez for Lewis Hamilton's Team X44.

Record equalled

Sébastien Ogier matches his nine drivers' titles; Loeb keeps the records for wins, podiums and stage wins.

By the Numbers

Sébastien Loeb WRC Record, Season by Season

Sébastien Loeb season-by-season record: team, wins, stage wins, podiums, points and final standing.
SeasonTeam Wins Stage Wins Podiums Points Pos.
1999 Private 0 0 0 0 NC
2000 Private 0 0 0 0 NC
2001 Private · Citroën 0 4 1 6 14
2002 Citroën · Piedrafita 1 19 2 18 14
2003 Citroën Total 3 38 7 71 2
2004 Citroën Total 6 70 12 118 1
2005 Citroën Total 10 131 13 127 1
2006 Kronos Citroën 8 87 12 112 1
2007 Citroën Total 8 102 13 116 1
2008 Citroën Total 11 118 13 122 1
2009 Citroën Total 7 88 9 93 1
2010 Citroën Total 8 96 12 276 1
2011 Citroën Total 5 65 9 222 1
2012 Citroën Total 9 72 10 270 1
2013 Citroën Total Abu Dhabi 2 21 3 68 8
2015 Citroën Total Abu Dhabi 0 5 0 6 18
2018 Citroën Total Abu Dhabi 1 9 1 43 13
2019 Hyundai 0 9 1 51 11
2020 Hyundai 0 1 1 24 10
2022 M-Sport Ford 1 14 1 35 11

Championship seasons are highlighted. Career totals: 80 victories · 120 podiums · 1,778 points from 184 World Championship starts. Rallying has no pole positions, so the second column counts stage wins; the figures below sum to 949 and the eWRC-results database to 948, while Wikipedia's summary line gives 939. Figures verified 28 July 2026.

Sébastien Loeb in his own words

In His Own Words
It's a very different driving style. You have to improvise much more, it's fun.
Sébastien Loeb · on returning to rallying · WRC.com, January 2015

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Frequently Asked

Sébastien Loeb: Frequently Asked Questions

How many world titles has Sébastien Loeb won?

Nine, in consecutive seasons from 2004 to 2012, all with Citroën and all alongside co-driver Daniel Elena. Sébastien Ogier equalled the nine-title record in 2025.

How many rallies has Sébastien Loeb won?

80 World Championship rallies from 184 starts, with 120 podiums — both all-time records. His first win came at Rallye Deutschland in 2002 and his last at Monte Carlo in 2022.

What records does Sébastien Loeb hold?

The World Rally Championship records for event wins, podium finishes and stage wins. His nine drivers' titles stood alone until Sébastien Ogier matched the total in 2025.

Was Sébastien Loeb really a gymnast?

Yes. He was a competitive gymnast and four-time champion of Alsace before switching to rallying in 1995, at 21.

Why was Sébastien Loeb so strong on tarmac?

Between 2005 and 2013 he won every World Championship tarmac rally he entered but three, a run of form on sealed surfaces that no other driver has matched.

What has Sébastien Loeb done outside rallying?

He has raced in the World Touring Car Championship, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in rallycross and in the Dakar Rally, where he finished second in 2022. He also won the 2022 Extreme E championship for Lewis Hamilton's Team X44.

Who were Sébastien Loeb's co-drivers?

Daniel Elena sat alongside him for all nine championships and the great majority of his career. Isabelle Galmiche read the notes for his eightieth win, at Monte Carlo in 2022.

Shop His Gear

Sébastien Loeb Collection

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References

Sources & Further Reading

Every statistic on this page is drawn from the following records.

  1. Loeb: 'It's fun to have this feeling again' (archived) · WRC.com (official)
  2. Sébastien Loeb — rally profile and season results (archived) · eWRC-results database
  3. Sébastien Loeb driver database · Motor Sport Magazine
  4. Sébastien Loeb — official site · Official
  5. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile · FIA, governing body records
  6. Sébastien Loeb · Wikipedia
  7. Sébastien Loeb (Q7855) · Wikidata entity record

How this page is made

Rider profiles are compiled from official series records and cross-checked against independent statistical databases before publication.

Commercial disclosure. This page links to merchandise sold by Kozmozracing. Products are fan-made tributes inspired by motorsport history and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or licensed from the rider, their estate, or any team.

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