The 2022 season marked Rossel’s first in the FIA World Rally Championship’s leading support category. He stepped up to the series after taking the 2021 WRC3 championship win.
He immediately showed his speed by clinching consecutive wins in Croatia and Portugal but settled for fourth overall at the end of the season after accidents in Sardinia and Greece dented his title charge.
Rossel, who is backed by Citroën Racing, has at least eight WRC rallies on his schedule in 2023. Drivers including Sami Pajari, Erik Cais and Oliver Solberg have also confirmed plans to contest WRC2 - and all three will drive brand-new Fabia RS Rally2 cars from Škoda.
While Rossel is aware the Czech manufacturer’s new machine is likely to be straight on the pace, he’s confident in his abilities to put up a strong fight and hopes his Citroën will benefit from its own developments throughout the year.
“Hopefully we can do some more work on the car next season,” he told WRC.com. “I know that all the guys and girls here are very strong in terms of development and we need to continue improving things step by step.
“We know already that the C3 is a very fast and competitive car on every surface, but we also understand, especially with the new Škoda, that we will need to work even harder for next year.”
Equally key to a competitive campaign is morale - and Rossel’s appears to be sky-high right now.
The 27-year-old has always held strong links with Stellantis Group brands and, barring the odd one-off appearance, has almost exclusively driven Citroën and Peugeot cars since the beginning of his career.
“I love this team,” he smiled. “I’ve been around this team, in some way or another, for around 10 years now I think. They followed me almost from the start.
“To drive for them is something special, not just for me but also for my whole family because my father owns a Peugeot garage. I remember being young and watching Marcus Grönhölm (in Peugeot cars), so to now be driving a Citroën is really something interesting.”
Rossel also admitted that, although he’d love the opportunity to step up into a Rally1 car at some point in the near future, for now his feet are planted firmly on the ground.
“The plan is to continue as we are for the moment, and maybe in two or three years I could be ready to compete in the top level of WRC - who knows?
“I would love to be in the WRC in a few years, but right now I just want to enjoy and make the most of every opportunity.”
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