Peugeot boss takes another dig at Martin.

Peugeot boss, Jean Pierre Nicolas has said that Markko Martin could and should have done more in Argentina over the weekend to fight with Harri Rovanpera and Toni Gardemeister for fourth place.

Speaking at the conclusion of the event, the ninth round in the championship, which saw Peugeot slip just one more point behind Citroen in the battle for the constructors' championship - the two are now split by just 6 points - Nicolas in contrast had only praise for Martin's team-mate, Marcus Gronholm after the Finn charged hard on Saturday to get in front of Petter Solberg and close the gap to eventual winner, Sebastien Loeb.

"As expected there were no big surprises at the end of the rally, with the gaps too big for our drivers to expect to make up places," concluded Nicolas.

"Marcus drove an excellent rally [to take second], with no mechanical problems, and set six fastest stage times which were incredibly encouraging for the whole team.

"Markko Martin was quick in the fast sections, but lost confidence in his car whenever the route became narrower and twistier. He decided just to bring the car home, but he could have fought with Harri Rovanpera and Toni Gardemeister for fourth place.

"We now lose one point to Citroen, who are currently six points ahead of us. The next rally, in Finland, is a whole new ball game, and it should suit our drivers very well."

Martin meanwhile admitted that once again he didn't feel comfortable with the 307 and as such he decided caution was the order of the day, to at least ensure he got something for the team as they battle to win the manufacturers' championship. As such he came home a distant sixth.

"We still struggled to find confidence over the whole three days of this rally, and eventually decided that it was better to not take any risks and try for a solid points finish, rather than pushing too hard and going off," he confirmed. "The conditions were sometimes extremely rough, but I felt happy with my tyre choices and I learnt a lot about the set-up in slippery conditions."