Loeb only focused on Spanish victory

Loeb, who was penalised by one minute when his Citroen's anti-roll bar did not conform with the car's homologation papers in Australia, arrives in Salou five points down on World Rally Championship leader Mikko Hirvonen, but the Frenchman says his Citroen C4 WRC is in stronger form than ever.

Loeb said: "When I was told of the penalty after the finish, my immediate feeling was one of immense frustration. Our C4 WRC was legal, but an administrative error in the homologation papers deprived us of the victory we had just taken on the stages.

"I can't bear a grudge against my team because anyone can make a mistake, including me, too, this year. With hindsight, although the penalty was hard to swallow. It came at a bad time, but I've put it behind me now.

"To prepare for this year's event, we came testing near Salou. The asphalt-spec C4 WRC has evolved slightly compared with last year and we have succeeded in ironing out the small problems we had in 2008."

Despite being five points down and in his worst position, title-wise, going into the penultimate round of the WRC since 2003, Loeb remains upbeat about his chances of championship number six.

"It's difficult to feel confident when you are dependent on the results of others," he said. "It's not a position I wanted to be in, but I can only accept it. That said, a Citroen one-two here in Spain seems to be a higher probability than in, say, Sweden.

"If Dani, or anybody else, manages to finish between Mikko and me, that will practically put us back level again. If that happens, we'll see how we approach Rally GB.

"For the moment, my priority is to win in Spain."