Martin expects volatile opener

The opening round of the WRC is often decided by tyre choice, as ice and snow can frequently be found on a stage that starts and ends on dry asphalt. Martin admits he finds the Monte one of the most testing events on the calendar and is hedging his bets over who will win it.

"Because of the weather this isn't a good rally to make predictions, so I won't!" he quipped. "But I would like to kick-start the year with a good points finish and that is something both ourselves and the Focus RS are capable of. I find this the most difficult rally in the championship. The mountain roads are often quite tricky, even in good conditions, and in bad weather they can be lethal. It's easy to make a small mistake and in poor weather, mistakes can be magnified.

"Last year there were a few sections of snow but nothing to worry too much about. Dry asphalt would be the easiest but more important is consistency, so that tyre choice is as simple as possible. Full snow would be OK but mixed conditions of dry asphalt, snow and ice on the same group of stages would be awful because, even with the best information, tyre selection becomes a bit of a lottery."

Team-mate Francois Duval added: "Last year we reached the top of the Col de Turini and it was covered in snow while the climb and the descent were dry asphalt. How do you choose the perfect tyre for such differing conditions? If the weather is inconsistent it is crucial to have a good ice note crew to ensure reliable information. My crew lives in the region. They know the area well which is an advantage in trying to predict the weather."