Gronholm blames Monte fault for Swedish exit

The Finn has said the circumstances which led to his retirement in Sweden today (Friday) mirrored that of his first day exit from the opening round.

"For me it was exactly the same problem as the Monte," he said. "We don't know exactly but I think it is the same problem. I was a little surprised when it started to do the same thing as the Monte. The water temperature went up, the windscreen misted over and that was it."

Although upset that his team appears not to have rectified the fault since the Monte, Gronholm remains upbeat about his chances for the rest of the season if Peugeot can give him reliable machinery.

"It's not too fantastic, we've had two starts and no points," he added. "I'm sure we could have done a good result here. My confidence is not a problem. I know this is a technical thing, so we have to fix it."

Peugeot mechanics have yet to recover the 206 WRC, which remains stranded at the finish of SS3, and so cannot confirm if the water pump is to blame again.