Loeb: Italian victory crucial for title

The win gives Loeb a 31 point lead over Marcus Gronholm, who looked set for a comfortable victory until his Ford struck a rock on Saturday morning. Loeb said that Gronholm's speed proved that he will not have it easy all year, despite winning the last five consecutive events.

"This win makes things very interesting from a championship point of view," Loeb said.

"I said before the rally that we had to stay on our guard. The start of this event showed that our key rivals, particularly Marcus, are well and truly up there - even if luck is not on their side at the moment.

"Taking our championship lead up to 31 points is therefore a good job."

Ford team boss Malcolm Wilson also predicted that his team would now start putting Loeb under more pressure.

"Marcus won five of the seven stages before his retirement which gives a clear indication of the car's pace," said Wilson.