Nine-time WRC champion Sébastien Loeb's departure from full-time rallying with Citroën is making the headline on a regular basis. Meanwhile, his former boss is preparing for a 2013 that is expected to be "different".
"For sure when you lose Sebastien Loeb, who is nine-time world rally champion, you are concerned," Yves Matton, who heads the rally team that saw all of Loeb's titles, told WRC.com.
"But I would not say I am worried because the drivers will change in nearly all the teams next year so it’s a different game."
Indeed, 2013 will be different for everyone.
Volkswagen, for one, will be making its competition debut in WRC. Ex-Ford Jari-Matti Latvala, ex-Citroën Sébastien Ogier and former IRC champion Andreas Mikkelsen will all be rallying the VW Polo R WRC for the first time next year.
At M-Sport, Ford pulled out its back from the team at the end of 2012, leaving Malcolm Wilson with some patching up to do. Thanks to support from Qatar, the team will line up four drivers – three new – next year: Mads Ostberg, Nasser Al-Attiyah, Thierry Neuville and Evgeny Novikov.
So, even without its nine-time champion, Citroën could still be in the best position to win the title. The man himself agrees.
"Citroën will manage without me next year," Loeb told Motorsport News.
"Citroen has a lot of experience of all the rallies."
"For sure when you lose Sebastien Loeb, who is nine-time world rally champion, you are concerned," Yves Matton, who heads the rally team that saw all of Loeb's titles, told WRC.com.
"But I would not say I am worried because the drivers will change in nearly all the teams next year so it’s a different game."
Indeed, 2013 will be different for everyone.
Volkswagen, for one, will be making its competition debut in WRC. Ex-Ford Jari-Matti Latvala, ex-Citroën Sébastien Ogier and former IRC champion Andreas Mikkelsen will all be rallying the VW Polo R WRC for the first time next year.
At M-Sport, Ford pulled out its back from the team at the end of 2012, leaving Malcolm Wilson with some patching up to do. Thanks to support from Qatar, the team will line up four drivers – three new – next year: Mads Ostberg, Nasser Al-Attiyah, Thierry Neuville and Evgeny Novikov.
So, even without its nine-time champion, Citroën could still be in the best position to win the title. The man himself agrees.
"Citroën will manage without me next year," Loeb told Motorsport News.
"Citroen has a lot of experience of all the rallies."