F1 would have been hard, says Loeb

Seven-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb has reiterated that he will not be aiming for a full-time Formula 1 career, despite having considered the possibility after a one-off test session with Red Bull Racing in Barcelona two years ago.

With his F1 test having come in November 2008, Loeb admitted that he was pondering a career switch but now admits that Kimi Räikkönen’s tough transfer to the WRC has acted only as confirmation that he made the right decision.

“It's not a possibility," the Frenchman said at this weekend’s Race of Champions in Düsseldorf. “It was just an idea from Red Bull last year and finally we couldn't get to the end of the project. Now it's over.

“If I have the opportunity to drive a car just for fun at a test, I will do it for sure, but I don't think I will do any races.

“As you see with Kimi, it's hard work to get the experience and, for sure, it would be the same the other way round.

“When you see young drivers coming into Formula 1, they are 20 years old and I’m 36, so maybe I have to think of something else now."