Loeb fears Swedish snow

Loeb's victory in the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally means that he has the unenviable position of being first man to run on the opening leg of the event, which could prove to be a massive handicap if the rally is hit by deep snow and he has to clear the way.

"If the stages are covered in sheet ice and lined with snowbanks, controlling the car's permanent drift at high speed is a pleasure you don't get anywhere else," said Loeb. "But running first on the road in fresh snow is much less fun.

"It only takes two centimetres of snow to make this 'privilege' worse in Sweden than on any gravel rally. Grip just isn't consistent. The studs don't bite, and the car is nervous and unpredictable. In one corner, you can slide too much and find yourself completely sideways.

"Then you can find yourself understeering through the next turn. So you're naturally a little more cautious for the third corner and obviously that's where you find grip and you could have gone more quickly! In a nutshell, you have a few scares and your times aren't good."

Loeb believes that Citroen's overall pace means he has a chance of challenging for his second consecutive victory on the event, providing that he does not lose too much time on the first day acting as a track cleaner.

"If the weather doesn't force me to act as snowplough on day one, I hope to be up there with the best," added Loeb. "Otherwise I will just try to do my best. Above all, it will be important not to make any mistakes and that's no easy matter when driving at speed on a knife edge..."