Martin tells FIA to act over WRC

On the back of the withdrawals by Citroen, Peugeot, Mitsubishi and Skoda at the end of last season, Martin believes that an action plan needs to be put in place to try and make the WRC better.

He claims that his own interest in making a return to the WRC in the future is waning because of the current state of the sport.

"I don't see much future for myself in the championship," he said on the main stage at the Autosport International Show. "I am not trying to find anything. It is very difficult to find a team that needs a good driver, because everyone needs a driver with a budget.

"It is just not the same championship that it used to be, so I can't push myself to make a huge effort to get in there and make it happen. For me it isn't what it used to be and I hope it will change one day and it will be nice for everybody to be a big championship again."

Martin believes that the FIA has to seize the initiative and try and attract manufacturers back into the championship.

"I think the FIA should really get their act together and do something quickly, otherwise it is not the bottom where we are at the moment," he added. "People need to react and it cannot last like that. I hope people get their act together and make it a good championship again.

"I think everybody wants to have the best cars, the fastest cars, the most exciting cars, but at the moment it is difficult to keep it like that. If there is no manufacturer interest and it is run by sponsors and people who want money then it is not possible to have a good championship.

"You need the manufacturers in it to make it exciting because they will do everything, and if that doesn't happen then I don't know what the future is."

Martin will focus his efforts this year on a team that he is running in the Estonian Rally Championship, but he will keep close contacts with the WRC.

"I am sure I will go to Monte Carlo because I still have many good memories and friends in the championship."

And he has said he is glad that he can put the sad memories of last year, and the crash in the Rally GB that killed co-driver Michael Park, behind him.

"It is very, very bad thing that happened and I would not want it to happen to anybody. Unfortunately we can't change it, and the only good thing about that year, the only good thing, is that it ended. I am really happy that the year is over and hopefully it is not coming back."