Latvala "offered to step down" as Ford No. 1

Ford World Rally Team boss Malcolm Wilson has admitted that his No. 1 driver Jari-Matti Latvala was ready to step down from his position after his Rallye de Portugal crash, his third in four rallies.

Wilson revealed that the Finn had approached him with the intention of stepping down, but Wilson declined his offer, instead putting his full support behind the Finn, who is currently running though rough patch.

Wilson said: "Jari did actually offer [to step down as number one driver]. He said he accepted that maybe the time had come [for a change of tactic]. But the way out of this is to give him as much support as I possibly can - and that's what I intend to do. For me, he's the only driver in a straight fight who can take the fight to Sebastien and beat him. And, for us to win championships, we have to win rallies.”

The former British Rally Champion acknowledged that Latvala's crash-to-rally ratio is not good, but he did liken Latvala's situation to Colin McRae's 2001 season. The flamboyant Scot crashed too many times to count during his Ford years, but he came back from a win-less streak in 2001 to win three rallies on the bounce and challenge for the title right up until the final round.

"Granted, three mistakes from four rallies is not good, but again he has proved he's the quickest guy at the moment and I've been in the sport long enough to know that it's coming. There's nothing to say he's not going to win the next four rallies – it's happened in the past. Remember when Colin [McRae] went a very long time without finishing a rally and then, bang, he won three rallies on the trot in 2001." he said.

Ford began the season with the plan of Solberg joining to support Latvala, but now, with Solberg only 4 points off the Driver's Championship lead and having finished each rally this year so far in the Top 4, things may change unless Latvala does as McRae did.

Wilson added: "The strategy doesn't change," he said. "If we do [get to the mid-point of the season] and the situation is the same then of course we will change."