Peugeot boss admits defeat

The retirement of double world champion Marcus Gronholm from the lead of Rally Argentina after he hit a rock has forced Provera to reappraise his team's targets.

"It's been a very disappointing rally for us," said Provera. "We cannot help but look upon Rally Argentina as an opportunity that vanished with the retirement of Marcus. It is clear that our objective of winning the manufacturers' championship becomes impossible. Our target now is to make the 307 WRC a winner by the end of the season - and we will work tirelessly to achieve that goal."

Peugeot in the end had to make do in Argentina with a fifth place for Harri Rovanpera after the Finn lost a great deal of time on leg one with a power steering problem.

Rovanpera, too, was a disappointed man at the end of the rally: "After the problem on the opening day, our car gave us not trouble for the rest of the rally. I'm very frustrated by the though of what we might have achieved here."