Wilson hit with engine penalty

Wilson, the son of Ford's WRC boss Malcolm, suffered the engine problem when he was testing his Ford in preparation for his first attempt at the Sardinian event on Monday.

The regulations stipulate that the engine in Wilson's Focus had to complete both Rally Argentina and this week's Rally Italia.

"We did the test on Monday without any problems," said Wilson. "But the boys noticed the engine was leaking water on Tuesday night.

"The decision was taken to change the engine. It's a little bit frustrating, but that's rallying - these things happen. We'll still be able to see where we are by the stage times."

Wilson wasn't the only driver to suffer on Monday as Red Bull Skoda driver Harri Rovanpera crashed the team's test Fabia WRC heavily.

"It wasn't the best thing to do," admitted Rovanpera, who made his debut with the team in Corsica last month. "But okay, it happened on Monday afternoon, so already we have some idea of how the car is on gravel. It's nice to be back on the loose, though."