Citroen slates 'untried' camera

Sainz's camera caught fire on numerous occasions on Friday morning, burning his Citroen's electrical cables. The camera is not the usual ISC version that is normally carried, but a version that will be used for live coverage of the final stage at Margam on Sunday.

"He was thinking too much about the problem and he forgot a corner," said Frequelin. "Normally I'd never accept an unused system in the car without a test. If we had known it was a new system, for sure we would not have accepted this."

Citroen immediately informed its other drivers, Sebastien Loeb and Colin McRae, to be aware of the problem.

"As soon as we heard about Carlos's problem we disconnected the camera equipment just in case," said McRae. "I think it's just a very unfortunate problem for Carlos and it could have affected anyone."

Sainz himself is looking on the bright side following his early exit: "It is unfortunate that it finished like this. I'd like everyone to remember the rest of the season, because it's been a great year for me."