Ford boss praises Hirvonen's start

With former world champion Marcus Gronholm retiring at the end of 2007, Hirvonen is now Ford's number one driver, and likely to be four-time champion Sebastien Loeb's main title rival.

Although Hirvonen could not match the Citroen driver in the Monte Carlo Rally, he took a comfortable second place behind Loeb - a result that satisfied Wilson.

"There was a lot of pressure on Mikko but he filled the slot left by Marcus Gronholm and I'm impressed with the job he did," Wilson said. "I couldn't have asked more in terms of the result."

Hirvonen was delighted to take second, having acknowledged from the start that Loeb would be extremely tough to beat in Monte Carlo, where he has now won a record five times.

"Second is a great result for me and a perfect start to the season," said Hirvonen. "I've never had a good rally here so to take a podium is fantastic and it almost feels as good as a win.

"I started the season how I wanted to with a good result. I didn't know what to expect from this rally but my plan for the year is to finish second if I can't win a rally. When I moved into second I eased off because I was under no pressure from behind."

Hirvonen's new teammate Jari-Matti Latvala had a tougher time on his first rally with the works team.

He sustained a puncture after clipping a wall in the opening stage, then was further delayed by hydraulics problems before breaking his suspension on Saturday morning. He was ultimately classified 12th after rejoining for day four under the superally system.

"I made two mistakes and it was a long and difficult weekend, but I found good speed today and I was happy with my times," said Latvala. "It's unfortunate they came three days too late.

"I've learned much about cutting corners with the new tyres - I can't afford to do that if I want to finish rallies."