Nine-time WRC champion Sébastien Loeb of France will attempt to bring his winning ways to circuit racing when he joins Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse in the DTM season opener.
DTM fans can look forward to seeing a new motorsport legend on the grid for the 2022 season opener in Portimão, as French rally star Sébastien Loeb takes the wheel of the Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse Ferrari.
Filling in for driver Nick Cassidy, whose Formula E commitments clashed with the calendar, Loeb will pilot a car carrying the livery of Red Bull’s premium fashion brand, AlphaTauri, as he and teammate Felipe Fraga launch the team’s defense of the DTM Teams’ Championship title.
While the race in Portimão, Portugal will be the Frenchman’s first in the DTM series, he’s no rookie, with strong circuit experience to draw on.
With nine WRC championships and 80 rally wins, Loeb is considered to be the discipline’s best driver, and one of the best drivers in motorsport history, period – and at 48, he shows no signs of slowing down.
Already this year, he leads the FIA World Rally Raid Championship having finished runner-up at the Dakar Rally at the wheel of the BRX Hunter T1+. The Prodrive driver also won the Monte Carlo Rally just one week post Dakar, in a showdown for the ages against longtime rival Sébastien Ogier.
In all, Loeb’s race program for 2022 includes driving in the WRC, Dakar, the FIA World Rally Raid Championship, Extreme E and now DTM.
“In my career I’ve always enjoyed changing disciplines,” he said. “DTM is a famous championship, so when I had this opportunity to participate, for sure I took it – it’s an exciting challenge because the driving style is completely opposite.”