Wilson bemoans Latvala's crash

Latvala went off the road three miles into the second stage of the morning, having damaged the front-right suspension on his Ford Focus RS WRC 07 earlier in the Mokkipera test.

"I have spoken to Jari-Matti," said Wilson. "But it wasn't a very long conversation - he's hit a rock - a rock which sounds like it's about half the size of a car. All of the other drivers have this rock marked in their notes, but Jari-Matti doesn't.

"He continued with the damage to the suspension and then went off the road after a crest a little bit further down the road. It's another year wasted for Jari-Matti. You don't win this event without experience and, if we can't get him back out tomorrow, that's another year gone."

Wilson admitted Latvala's accident was not what Ford needed in their efforts to defend a championship lead from Citroen, as C4 drivers Sebastien Loeb and Dani Sordo currently hold first and third places in Jyvaskyla.

"This has put more pressure on Mikko [Hirvonen] for the result," added Wilson. "We're on the back foot now. Don't worry, though. We'll be back."

The devastated Latvala said: "I'm very, very sorry for the team. I couldn't see the rock, it was in the shadow of a farm building. I didn't see it. I thought it was a puncture. But then over the crest, we went off the road.

"The car half-rolled. It's not good. I just hope we can be back tomorrow to get some more confidence. I'm so sorry for the team."