Hirvonen not relaxing despite gap

The Finn has controlled the event from the first stage on Friday, but he feels that he will have to keep his pace up if he wants to stay in front.

"Marcus is going his own speed, but that is quite fast so I need to be on my toes," Hirvonen said after the first loop of stages on Saturday.

"Thirty seconds is only enough if I can hold it. If Marcus does decide to push then we will see if it is."

Hirvonen was unable to extend his lead during Saturday morning as he was unfamiliar with the stages, because he retired from this event on the first day last year.

However, he is optimistic that he can keep his position, as he is able to take more risks than the title contenders.

"It is not easy for Marcus or Sebastien (Loeb), he added. "They both have to hope that nothing goes wrong, I don't have that pressure."