It was mission achieved for Sebastien Loeb as he helped Abt Cupra to its first podium finishes of the Excessive E season on the latest Island X Prix II, however whereas his arrival has been a lift for the workforce that ended 2022 because the one to beat, he admits his future with the workforce is undecided.

The nine-time World Rally and reigning Excessive E champion was drafted into the workforce instead of Nasser Al-Attiyah after it endured a troublesome begin to the 2023 season. The turnaround was virtually on the spot, with Loeb and teammate Klara Andersson rising from the second Sardinia occasion because the highest-scoring workforce, regardless of falling wanting an total spherical win.

“It’s all the time good to attain a podium,” Loeb stated. “It’s the primary of the yr for me in Excessive E and the primary for Cupra. It was the primary purpose that we needed to attain, to do higher than we did previously.”

The primary of the workforce’s two podiums throughout the weekend got here in dramatic style, with Andersson wrestling the automobile dwelling with three working wheels, however Loeb says the championship’s attritional nature is simply one thing drivers should be taught to stay with.

“In Excessive E it’s not a shock anymore — you might have some automobiles crashing, breaking down, some contact, some mud and hassle of visibility; it’s actually powerful to be on the market within the battle,” he famous. “Lots is linked to the beginning — if you’re forward and have good visibility and the others are preventing behind, you’re away from hassle — however it was not our case.”

Loeb identified that even while you face misfortune within the class, giving up isn’t an choice as a result of even worse might occur to a rival.

“She [Andersson] had the issue and she or he went on three wheels, then she had a spin; you suppose, ‘OK, all the pieces is misplaced,’ then we see one other [Carl Cox Motorsport] automobile is spinning, the opposite [Veloce Racing] goes this manner as a result of she sees nothing, and we’ve got three wheels — we simply must do two kilometers to complete the race and to be second,” he stated. “You then converse along with her on the radio, ‘Be calm, simply do no errors till the top.’ It’s an odd approach to end on the rostrum, however ultimately we are on the rostrum.

“We get used to [the chaos], we all know that it’s a part of the lottery in these races. It’s a must to settle for the foundations — it’s not precisely what I used to be used to previously, that you just battle for the place and you’ve got a clear highway and also you simply push. It’s how it’s and it makes an excellent present. It’s enjoyable within the automobile. I take pleasure in it.”

Whereas the on-track chaos in Excessive E can’t all the time be helped, Loeb praised the Abt Cupra workforce, in addition to the X44 Vida Carbon Racing squad that he drove for final yr, for setting themselves up finest to take care of no matter is thrown at them.

“I’ve to say, I had an excellent automobile with X44 as a result of we received the championship, it meant that we had been doing an excellent job collectively,” he stated. “However sure, Cupra, I believe, has some excellent engineers which have a whole lot of expertise of various disciplines. Now we have all the pieces we’d like to have the ability to battle.”

Loeb has embraced the chaotic nature of Excessive E races. “We get used to [the chaos], we all know that it’s a part of the lottery in these races,” he says. “It’s a must to settle for the foundations.” Sam Bagnall/Motorsport Photographs

Loeb’s sudden return to Excessive E got here after his plans to contest a full World Rallycross season had been undone by a devastating fireplace that worn out all the Particular ONE racing workforce at Lydden Hill in the summertime. In addition to destroying each of the workforce’s retrofitted all-electric Lancia Delta Integrales, it pressured an prolonged hiatus for the FIA World Championship collection because it seeks to find out the reason for the fireplace.

“It’s by no means good to see a automobile on fireplace and all the pieces round burning,” Loeb stated. “It was a nasty expertise for the entire championship — for the time being they haven’t restarted as a result of they should discover a answer and to grasp precisely what occurred.”

He doesn’t anticipate the workforce to organize two extra Lancias to compete subsequent yr, however says no choice has been taken but.

“I don’t suppose so,” he stated when requested if the Particular ONE workforce might return to World RX subsequent yr. “First we have to see how this championship will stick with it, then we will take a choice.”

As for the ultimate two rounds of the Excessive E season, which happen on December 2-3, Loeb’s participation in these stays up within the air as nicely with the identification of Andersson’s teammate for the journey to Chile but to be decided.

“I believe since we began collectively, we’ve by no means had any issues with the automobile. So why not? However nothing is set,” Loeb admitted. “In the mean time, I’ve time to spend in Excessive E and I take pleasure in it. For the longer term, I don’t know.

“Subsequent yr my plan is to do Dakar — I will probably be concerned with Dacia for the preparation for the subsequent Dakar and I don’t understand how a lot time it is going to take precisely, so we’ll see.”