Gronholm upbeat over 307

Runner-up Gronholm lost over 30secs when he spun on the opening stage of the final day, allowing Citroen's Sebastien Loeb an easy run to the finish.

"After I spun this morning, I knew there was no point in risking everything to push hard," said Gronholm. "It was just a typical spin, nothing special, but it cost us half a minute. Then I concentrated on making sure that I could come back and score the first podium for the 307 WRC.

"The car is still very new, and this is a good result under the circumstances. I made a couple of mistakes and we also had a problem with the power steering on the first day, so I think we definitely had the possibility to win here. But there is still a lot more to come from the car - it's not perfect yet."

Peugeot Sport team principal Corrado Provera said: "It is the first podium for the 307 WRC but not on the step that we hoped for. Marcus could have won, but we handicapped him by one minute with a power steering problem and lost the rally. On the one hand we are happy that the car is demonstrating its speed despite being a long way off its full potential. On the other hand, we are sad that our series of Swedish victories has been interrupted. But we have to be philosophical. We will get better!"

Gronholm's team-mate Freddy Loix retired from a points-scoring position after encountering engine problems.