Q&A: Guy Frequelin.

Citroen's Sebastien Loeb and Carlos Sainz finished second and third respectively on the Rallye de France-Tour de Corse today [Sunday], in the processing clinching both the drivers' and manufacturers' titles for the French squad. Here team boss, Guy Frequelin talks about the teams achievements and their success on home soil...

Q:
Guy. If possible, can you describe the emotions you are feeling at the moment?

Guy Frequelin:
This is a very emotional time for me. In 1981, I came close to the same title. And this title of Sebastien's is, in some part, mine as well, I take a small part of it. It allows me to live this emotion of winning the Drivers' title through Sebastien.

I felt something very strong at the end of this rally, very strong for the whole team too. I am very happy to see S?bastien up there on the top of the podium. I discovered him through our promotion formula in 1998, and for a sporting director to take a young driver from the promotion formula all the way up to the top of World Championship is something very special, both for the man and for the sporting director.

Claude Satinet told me last year that there was only every one 'first time', this is the second time for the Manufacturer's Championship, the first time for S?bastien, and the first time we have won both titles, but I must have remained a child at some level, as for me, every time is a first time, with the same passion, the same delight, whether it is a rally win or a title win. I am like a child with a new present every time. I must have remained in my childhood with all the joy that goes with it.

Q:
Do you think this will be the first of many titles for Sebastien?

GF:
When I discovered Sebastien, I discovered the talent he had and I became interested in him. I leant him a car in 2000 for the Rally du Var, and then again for the Rally Sanremo. He did a good job and showed he had talent. From then on, I had plenty of hopes in Sebastien, to the point that whenever they asked me if I was surprised by what he achieved, I replied no, I was not surprised, because I had put the bar very high in terms of my hopes for him. Of course, I have never been disappointed, but I understood that I had discovered this talent from the start.

For the future, I think that he has the potential to win a number of titles, but these things are difficult to predict. It depends on the car. You need a good driver, a good co-driver, a good team and a good car. I hope that we will be able to continue to give him a car worthy of his talent.

Q:
And what about the future for Citroen?

GF:
I risk disappointing you here. Concerning Carlos, he has not yet made his decision. I do not think he wants to do a full season. He does not want to give up driving, but I cannot answer for him, he has to make his decision, and relatively quickly.

Concerning the future of Citroen, Claude Satinet said quite clearly during the press conference he gave during the Paris Motorshow, that he would announce the programme only when the definitive regulations for 2005 and 2006 and after were released, and that the names of the drivers would be released at the same time, that is to say at the end of November.