Latvala delayed by early roll

The Ford driver was running second behind teammate Mikko Hirvonen in the very wet and foggy conditions, but has now dropped outside the top ten.

"Two kilometres into the second stage, on a flat left corner, I just went a bit wide, hit the bank, it moved the car in the other direction and we rolled off the road at the next corner, down a little drop," Latvala told World Rally Radio.

"But then I realised there were spectators there (to help), so we got the car back on its wheels and we found a way back on the road. Luckily there is not so much damage on the car - only the windscreen and some cosmetic damage. Otherwise everything is okay.

"Unfortunately I made a mistake, but it happens in rallying."

Hirvonen has dominated the opening stages, and currently holds a 52-second lead over Sebastien Loeb (Citroen), with Subaru's Chris Atkinson currently in third.