Citroen shrugs off Argentina near miss

Veteran driver Carlos Sainz was leading the rally by 30 seconds when his co-driver Marc Marti booked him into service early. He was given a one-minute penalty as a result. Sainz charged back to finish second, but team-mates Sebastien Loeb (who crashed) and Colin McRae (whose engine expired) failed to finish.

"I am far from being angry at the crews," said Frequelin. "Everybody can make a mistake, and what I would like to remember from this rally is that the Xsara was equalling our best competitors' cars on this terrain. This is good for future events.

"Carlos has showed what a motivated and determined performer he is. Sebastien has also surprised all of us with his skills and his talent. I deplore he is not at the finish, because to keep contact with the front-runners of the championship, it's very clear that it's crucial to have two cars in the points all the time," he added.

Sainz said: "I think we made a good rally but this mistake is costing us the victory. I am sincerely sorry for the team, but we have proved this is very encouraging for the future events."