Gronholm: I don't like settling for second but...

Peugeot team leader Marcus Gronholm has revealed that while he really wants to win his home event next weekend in Finland, there will be no point overdoing it.

Speaking in the count-down to the Rally Finland, the double world champion, who has won the event four times in the last five years, added that while he doesn't like settling for second, he has to be realistic - especially as Peugeot are keen to win the constructors' championship this year, before they quit the WRC.

"I always give my absolute best and I never admit to being beaten before the start," he insisted, "but even so, you've still got to be lucid. There's no point in overdoing it if it's unrealistic to hope for better and if the situation dictates that you make sure you finish in the points. I admit it's not a situation I find it easy to live with!

"I may have lacked lucidity on occasions in the past, but Peugeot's current position in the championship proves that I'm getting reasonable with age. That said, I still don't like coming second!"

Despite all this though, Gronholm believes they can be competitive - and if they are 'particularly strong and focused' then they might even be able to stop Sebastien Loeb and Citroen from making it seven in a row - and take the victory themselves.

"The 307 WRC is effectively very competitive on wide, fast, smooth stages which notably call for very good traction, and that's an encouraging sign Finland," he continued. "With the exception of the shock absorbers, which will be adapted to meet the demands of my home event's unique jumps, the car's specification will be very similar to the one we used in Argentina, so it is reasonable to believe we can be competitive in Finland.

"However our main rival - Sebastien Loeb - has been so strong this season so far that he seems capable of beating us even on our home event. Even so, it won't be easy for him and it will be up to us to make the most of that. Every year, I feel unbeatable going into 'my' rally, but this time I get the feeling we will need to be particularly strong and focused if we want to win."