Hirvonen not surprised by lead

The Ford driver opened out a lead of 21 seconds over his teammate Marcus Gronholm, who was one of several drivers to take a more cautious approach than the young Finn.

"I'm having a great time. I'm not surprised at all, because I felt comfortable," Hirvonen told autosport.com. "It's very difficult and slippery, but it felt good.

"I feel happy with the car, and I'm pushing 100 per cent, and it's going well so far."

Hirvonen was more committed than title contenders Gronholm and Sebastien Loeb in the morning, but he added that he might not stay at the same pace in the afternoon.

"You can never be too comfortable in these conditions," he said when asked about the muddy stages. "I might have to slow down a bit this afternoon because it seems to be getting more slippery."