WRC: Citroen not satisfied with third

[Plex]

Citroen have admitted that they were not happy to settle for third place in Finland last weekend, despite the fact that the event is traditionally dominated by local drivers.

Sebastien Loeb was unable to match the pace of the Fords of Marcus Gronholm and Mikko Hirvonen, but his Citroen team have said that it was because they did not get enough out of the car.

"Rally Finland stands out as one of the seasons big challenges, and we didn't succeed in rising to it this time round," said Citroen boss Guy Frequelin.

"This result shows that we haven't yet succeeded in unlocking the full potential of the C4, which is a new car."

Citroen have been happy with the performance of the new car for most of the season, but they believe that they still have a lot of work to do after Ford's 2007-specification Focus scored a 1-2 on its debut.

"The C4 is already more competitive than the Xsara but we now need to be using all its potential," added Frequelin.

"We must try to learn the lessons of what didn't function here to take us forward. I am convinced we have both the resources and the will to do that."

Loeb is now 13 points adrift of Gronholm in the drivers' championship, but the French squad will be expected to make up some of that gap next time out in Germany, where the event will take place on Tarmac.

Autosport