Editing Sébastien Loeb (section)

{{short description|French rally driver (born 1974)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Sébastien Loeb
| image              = Sebastien Loeb 2014 WTCC Race of Japan.jpg
| caption            = Loeb at the [[2014 FIA WTCC Race of Japan]]
| nationality        = {{flagicon|FRA}} French
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1974|02|26|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Haguenau]], France
| signature = [[File:Sébastien Loeb Transparent Signature.png|100px| ]]
| signature alt = Sébastien Loeb Signature Transparent
| website            = {{URL|https://www.sebastienloeb.com/|sebastienloeb.com}}
| module             = {{Infobox WRC driver|subbox=yes
  | Years = {{WRC|1999}}–{{WRC|2013}}, {{WRC|2015}}, {{WRC|2018}}–{{WRC|2020}}, {{WRC|2022}}
  | Co-driver   = {{Unbulleted list|{{flagicon|MCO}} [[Daniel Elena]] | {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Isabelle Galmiche]]}}
  | Teams = {{Unbulleted list|{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Citroën World Rally Team|Citroën]] | {{flagicon|BEL}} [[Kronos Citroën World Rally Team|Kronos Citroën]] | {{flagicon|KOR}} [[Hyundai Motorsport|Hyundai]] | {{flagicon|GBR}} [[M-Sport World Rally Team|M-Sport Ford]]}}
  | Races = 184
  | Championships = 9 ({{WRC|2004}}, {{WRC|2005}}, {{WRC|2006}}, {{WRC|2007}}, {{WRC|2008}}, {{WRC|2009}}, {{WRC|2010}}, {{WRC|2011}}, {{WRC|2012}})
  | Wins = [[List of World Rally Championship rally wins by Sébastien Loeb|80]]
  | Podiums = 120
  | Stagewins = 939
  | Points = 1,778
  | First race = {{flagicon|ESP}}[[1999 Rally Catalunya]]
  | First win = {{flagicon|GER}} [[2002 Rallye Deutschland]]
  | Last win = {{flagicon|MCO}} [[2022 Monte Carlo Rally|2022 Rallye Monte Carlo]]
  | Last race = {{flagicon|GRE}} [[2022 Acropolis Rally]]
  }}
| module2            = {{Infobox racing driver|subbox=yes
| name = {{small|[[FIA World Rallycross Championship|World Rallycross Championship]] record}}
  | years active      = [[2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship|2016]]–[[2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship|2018]]
| teams = {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Team Peugeot-Hansen]],{{flagicon|FRA}} [[GC Kompetition|Special ONE Racing]]
| car number = 9
| starts = 39
| wins = 2
| podiums  = 17
  | best finish       = 4th
  | year = [[2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship|2018]]
}}
| module3           = {{Infobox racing driver|subbox=yes
| name = {{small|[[World Touring Car Championship]] record}}
  | years active      = [[2014 World Touring Car Championship|2014]]–[[2015 World Touring Car Championship|2015]]
| teams = {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Citroën World Touring Car Team|Citroën Total WTCC]]
| car number = 9
| starts = 47
| wins = 6
| podiums  = 20
  | best finish       = 3rd
  | year = [[2014 World Touring Car Championship|2014]] and [[2015 World Touring Car Championship|2015]]
}}
| module4           = {{Infobox racing driver|subbox=yes
  | name              = {{small|[[Dakar Rally]] career}}
  | teams             = {{Unbulleted list|{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Peugeot]] | {{flagicon|BHR}} [[Bahrain Raid Xtreme]]}}
  | co-driver         = {{Unbulleted list|{{flagicon|MCO}} [[Daniel Elena]] | {{flagicon|BEL}} [[Fabian Lurquin]]}}
  | starts            = 8
  | wins              = 0
  | podiums           = 5
  | last finish       = 3rd
  | best finish       = 2nd
  | year              = [[2017 Dakar Rally|2017]], [[2022 Dakar Rally|2022]], [[2023 Dakar Rally|2023]]
  }}
| module5          = {{Infobox racing driver|subbox=yes
  | name              = {{small|[[World Rally-Raid Championship]] career}}
  | teams              = {{flagicon|BHR}} [[Bahrain Raid Xtreme]]
  | co-driver         = {{flagicon|BEL}} [[Fabian Lurquin]]
  | starts            = 8
  | wins              = 1
  | podiums           = 3
}}
| module6           = {{Infobox racing driver|subbox=yes
| name    = {{small|[[Extreme E]] career}}
| teams      =  {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Team X44]] (2021 - 2022)<br> {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Cupra Racing|ABT Cupra]]
| first year        = [[2021 Extreme E Championship|2021]]
| car number        = 44
| starts            = 10
| wins              = 2
| podiums           = 6
| best finish       = 1st
| year              = [[2022 Extreme E Championship|2022]]
| title years       = [[2022 Extreme E Championship|2022]]
| prev series       = {{nowrap|[[World Rallycross Championship]]}} <br> [[World Touring Car Championship]] <br> [[Porsche Supercup]] <br> [[FIA GT Series]] <br> [[Porsche Carrera Cup France]] <br> [[International GT Open]] <br> [[Porsche Carrera Cup France]] <br> [[French GT Championship]] <br> [[24 Hours of Le Mans]]
| prev series years = {{nowrap|[[2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship|2016]]–[[2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship|2018]] <br> [[2014 World Touring Car Championship season|2014]]–[[2015 World Touring Car Championship season|2015]] <br> [[2013 Porsche Supercup season|2013]] <br> [[2013 FIA GT Series season|2013]] <br> 2011–2012 <br> [[2010 International GT Open season|2010]] <br> 2008–2009 <br> 2008–2013 <br> [[2005 24 Hours of Le Mans|2005]]-[[2006 24 Hours of Le Mans|2006]]}}
| awards            =
| award years       =
| medals-expand     =
| medals            =
  {{MedalCountry | {{FRA}} }}
  {{MedalCompetition|[[X Games]]}}
  {{MedalGold|[[X Games XVIII|2012 Los Angeles]]|[[Rallycross]]}}
}}
}}

'''Sébastien Loeb''' ({{IPA|fr|sebastjɛ̃ lœb}}; born 26 February 1974) is a French professional [[rallying|rally]], [[auto racing|racing]] and [[rallycross]] driver. He is the most successful driver in the [[World Rally Championship]] (WRC), having won the world championship a record nine times in a row. He holds several other [[List of World Rally Championship records|WRC records]], including most event wins, most podium finishes and most stage wins. Loeb retired from full time WRC participation at the end of 2012. He currently drives part time in the WRC for [[M-Sport Ford World Rally Team]], and full time in the [[World Rally-Raid Championship]] (W2RC) for [[Bahrain Raid Xtreme]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Profile of SEBASTIEN LOEB - BAHRAIN RAID XTREME - Dakar|url=https://www.dakar.com/en/competitor/211|website=Dakar}}</ref>

Originally a gymnast, Loeb was a four time Champion of [[Alsace]] and one time champion of the French Grand East. He switched to rallying in 1995 and won the [[Junior World Rally Championship]] in 2001. Signed by the [[Citroën World Rally Team]] for the 2002 season, he and co-driver [[Daniel Elena]] took their maiden WRC win that same year at the [[Rallye Deutschland]]. After finishing runner-up to [[Petter Solberg]] by one point in 2003, Loeb took his first [[List of World Rally Championship Drivers' champions|drivers' title]] in 2004. Continuing with Citroën, he went on to take a record ninth consecutive world title in 2012. Loeb is a tarmac expert, having won all but three of the WRC rallies on that surface in which he has participated between 2005 and 2013. In [[2018 World Rally Championship|2018]], Loeb won the [[2018 Rally Catalunya|Spanish round]] of that year's championship, in a rare entry six years after his retirement as a full-time WRC driver.<ref name=":4" />

Loeb made his debut at the [[Dakar Rally]] in [[2016 Dakar Rally|2016]] and has participated in it every year since bar [[2020 Dakar Rally|2020]]. He has a best finish of second in [[2017 Dakar Rally|2017]], [[2022 Dakar Rally|2022]] and [[2023 Dakar Rally|2023]]. Besides his success in rallying, Loeb is a five-time winner at the [[Race of Champions]], after taking home the [[Henri Toivonen]] Memorial Trophy and the title "Champion of Champions" in 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2022. In 2004, he won the Nations' Cup for France with [[Jean Alesi]]. In 2006, he finished second in the [[2006 24 Hours of Le Mans|24 Hours of Le Mans]]. Loeb was named the [[L'Équipe Champion of Champions#France|French Sportsman of the Year]] in 2007 and 2009, and made knight of the [[Legion of Honour]] (''Légion d'honneur'') in 2009. In 2012, he won the rallycross final in his first appearance at [[X Games XVIII]]. The same year, Loeb founded his own motorsports team, [[Sébastien Loeb Racing]]; which participates in various racing series. The following year, he participated in the [[2013 FIA GT Series|FIA GT Series]] for Loeb Racing and scored four wins and finished fourth overall. In [[2014 World Touring Car Championship|2014]] and [[2015 World Touring Car Championship|2015]] he had a successful stint in the [[World Touring Car Championship]], scoring six wins in total and with a best finish of third overall in both seasons. From [[2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship|2016]] to [[2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship|2018]] he also participated in the [[FIA World Rallycross Championship]], with two wins and a best position of fourth overall.

In 2021, he tested the [[Ford Puma Rally1]] car several times, before joining the [[M-Sport World Rally Team|M-Sport Ford WRT]] for a part-time drive in the [[2022 World Rally Championship|2022 WRC season]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/m-sport-announces-loeb-wrc-comeback-fourmaux-retained/6945594/|title=M-Sport announces Loeb WRC comeback, Fourmaux retained|date=21 December 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.m-sport.co.uk/single-post/fast-frenchmen-complete-m-sport-s-2022-monte-carlo-line-up|title = Fast Frenchmen Complete M-Sport's 2022 Monte Carlo Line-Up|date = 21 December 2021}}</ref> He took his 80th WRC victory at the [[2022 Monte Carlo Rally]], barely a week after finishing second at the [[2022 Dakar Rally]]. Loeb later also won the [[2022 Extreme E Championship]] alongside [[Cristina Gutiérrez]]; for [[Lewis Hamilton]]'s [[Team X44]].<ref name=":5" /> Loeb has also competed in other motorsports like the [[GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup|GT World Challenge Europe]], the [[Porsche Supercup]], the [[24 Hours of Le Mans]], the [[Andros Trophy]] and other racing categories across many disciplines. Loeb is the only racing driver to win an event in four different FIA-affiliated world championships since winning the [[Andalucía Rally]] in 2022.{{cn|date=November 2022}}