Pierre-Louis Loubet and Nicolas Gilsoul will partner up for next year’s World Rally Championship season in an M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1.
Ever since Vincent Landais’ decision to work with eight-time World Rally champion Sébastien Ogier on a part-time season at Toyota in 2023, Loubet has been in need of a new co-driver.
He and Gilsoul, formerly Thierry Neuville’s co-driver in the WRC with 13 rally wins, therefore contested Rallye National Hivernal du Dévoluy in France last weekend, retiring their Ford Fiesta Rally2 with a broken propshaft.
But the result of the rally was never of importance to Loubet who simply wanted to evaluate Gilsoul for next year.
Although both parties admitted there is no agreement between them that’s 100% signed yet, both have indicated their intention to work together in 2023.
Loubet told DirtFish: “When I knew that Vincent would go to Japan [with Ogier] I knew a bit what would happen after so I already contacted him [Gilsoul] before Rally Japan because I knew what was coming.
“From my side I just call him. He’s the only one co-driver I called.
“I think he’s very professional and he showed that he is a top level co-driver. He has big, big experience of the WRC and unfortunately today, in the French language, not everybody has his experience, so I think it was the best choice.”
On how their partnership worked at the weekend, Loubet added: “Yeah honestly everything was very fine and he was already, by the first stages, in the rhythm, he understood very well my note system so I’m very confident after that.
“It was a very good experience.”
Gilsoul echoed those thoughts.
“Our target was to do a rally together, especially for myself to discover the pacenote system of Pierre-Louis and get used to it, to practice recce as well – it’s important,” he told DirtFish.
“To discover, especially for Pierre-Louis, a winter rally because he has not so much experience on the Monte and I push a lot to do this rally because for me it’s the best preparation before Monte.
“It’s each year the same, you have so many things to discover. It’s the first rally of the year, it’s a complicated rally because it’s a winter rally with a lot of different tire choices available.
“You have also to work with the route note crew, you have to handle or take care of the weather forecast… it’s plenty of things, you are very busy, and also teams are always coming late. By experience, each brand is late to finish to prepare the rally cars so everyone is always a bit anxious.
“If in addition you come, you are a new crew and you have plenty of things to discover it’s far too much. So at least coming on this small rally no real pressure, full focus on different things, practicing recce, practicing the new language for me inside the car, meeting the guys, understanding who is he, how he is working, what he likes, what he dislikes and it was really useful.
“It was really nice, even if we had to retire a little bit in advance we were able to try different tire combinations, we drove on dry, we drove on damp, on frozen so it was really nice.
“The target is achieved for this weekend at least.”
Asked what the targets would be for next year, Gilsoul said: “I think if we secure the full season, for sure it will be a learning year, a learning curve.
“The idea is that if you want to learn, you have to get to the finish first so it’s important.
“A nice target would be to be in the top five at the end of the championship and for sure if we can achieve some podiums it would be great.”
Loubet wouldn’t comment on his program for next year, but he is expected to be in Monte Carlo for just the second time in his career next month and to complete a larger program than his seven-round campaign in 2022.
Ott Tänak is the only driver confirmed to drive for M-Sport next year, but no major surprises are expected.
Entries for the Monte Carlo Rally close on Friday, and an M-Sport driver announcement could come later this week.
Adrien Fourmaux though is confirmed to start his season on Austria’s Jänner Rally behind the wheel of a Fiesta Rally2.
