Loeb thinking of championship

The Frenchman is keen to make sure that he doesn't throw away points to Marcus Gronholm, as the pair are only separated by three in the standings.

However, the reigning champion does not want to repeat the mistakes he made in Norway, where he crashed while trying to keep up with the Fords and lost vital points.

"I want to win, but I haven't forgotten our misadventure in Norway and all the points we lost there," said Loeb.

"If you can't win in a straight fight, the better alternative is to aim for second place. If the situation dictates, I will focus on consistency."

Loeb has won the last three WRC events, and he added that the points system didn't really reflect how the season had been going.

"Three points is a small margin after all the effort we have put in and all the risks we have taken," he said. "But that's the way the scoring system works.

"It's played in our favour in the past, and we just have to live with it. I will try to win this weekend but my tactics will depend on the way things unfold."