Latvala and Hirvonen holding steady

It was a case of one down, five to go, for rally leader Jari-Matti Latvala on Sunday’s opening stage. With a comfortable 49-second lead over his Ford team-mate Mikko Hirvonen, Latvala has little to gain but everything to lose by pushing too hard.

“There was lots of gravel but the tyre worked well in the conditions,” said Latvala. “I’m feeling relaxed. We’re watching the pace of our friends behind, and matching our speed.”

For Hirvonen too the objective now is to hold position and get to the finish. “We don’t want to make any mistakes,” he said. “The weather has done a good job overnight - there’s no ice at all!”