Peugeot drivers struggle in the rain

Jacques Villeneuve held the lead in the No.7 908 but his 40 second advantage was eradicated by Tom Kristensen in the No.2 Audi. They pitted together but Audi took the lead because Kristensen stayed in the R10 for another stint, while Villeneuve handed over to Marc Gene.

"We had a lot going on there," he said. "We trying to keep the temperatures down during the first two stints, then when the rain came we put cold tyres on and that was really, really difficult.

"There is kind of a dry line, but it is very difficult," he added. "What I found difficult is when I was following other cars, the car was kicking out as soon as I put the throttle down. With the turbo, the car just kicked out on the throttle."

Stephane Sarrazin was lapping quicker than anyone else when the circuit was dry, but could not continue that pace in wet conditions and eventually had to pit to end his stint early.

"It was really difficult," he said. "We went to intermediates but had to change again to wets because it was so slippery.

"In the end I had to pit two laps early because there was so much oil and water on my windscreen that I couldn't see a thing and it was not possible to drive.

"We decided to go with a closed car for technical reasons, and we are happy to have chosen this car, but when it is raining like this, that is the way it is."

Tom Kristensen now leads the race by a minute from Gene, who is losing five seconds a lap to the Dane.