Solberg plans cautious Monte

The Norwegian will be aiming to improve on his troubled start to last season, which saw Solberg retire from two of the opening three events, including Monte Carlo.

"I start the year as World Champion, but in terms of driving it makes no difference to me at all," said Solberg. "Some people have asked if I can afford to take it easy now, but I know there are areas that I can improve on and there's still a lot of hard work to do.

"Monte Carlo has not been the best rally for me in the past and I've yet to prove myself in the first few events of the season. In fact, after Turkey last year [round three] I think I only had three points in total! I'm planning for things to be different this year, so I'm changing my strategy for the opening rounds. Last year I would have been fighting for first place from the very first stage, but now I think that's not the best way to be, so don't be surprised if I'm not in the points after the first day."

Monte Carlo will see Solberg's new team-mate, Mikko Hirvonen, make his Subaru debut. The Finnish youngster has competed on the notoriously unpredictable event just once in the past, but has still targeted a points finish.

"My main aim is to finish, get more experience of the car, and hopefully some points for the team," said Hirvonen. "Things always happen in Monte and if you finish, there are often points up for grabs, so that's my plan."