Loeb ready to settle for top five

The Frenchman leads Ford rival Marcus Gronholm by six points going into the final rally of the year, and only needs to finish in fifth position to secure his fourth consecutive title if the Finn goes on to win the event.

Citroen driver Loeb, who has never won in Britain, missed last year's rally due to injury, but he is confident things haven't changed much since he competed there in 2005.

The three-time champion admits he will not enjoy not going for victory, but he accepts it will be worth doing it if that brings him the title.

"We lead by six points, so we won't need to win at all costs," said Loeb. "Should Marcus win, we will have to finish in at least fifth place to make sure of the title. That would put us equal on points but we have more wins to our name.

"We will consequently need to find a pace that permits us to finish inside the top five. I don't enjoy driving to finish but, given the importance of the stakes, it's only logical."

He added: "Unless the event produces a big surprise, we probably won't be adding our names to the list of past winners of this event this time round. I don't mind, however, if that means securing a fourth world title. Along with winning Rally Finland, it will also give us something to aim for in years to come.

"The Wales Rally GB has never gone well for us in a WRC car. We didn't even start the 2006 event. However, the stages haven't changed much in recent years so I hope our absence last year won't be too much of a handicap. The way the Rally of New Zealand went suggests it shouldn't be."