However, Loeb insisted that he will not go for the win in Great Britain, but rather focus on beating Hirvonen by the finish line. Even if he finishes the next week's event only one point ahead of his Ford rival, the Citroen driver will still become world champion because of his wins in the season (5, as compared to Hirvonen's 4).
“The two of us will obviously be under a great deal of pressure, and even a small mistake could put either one of us out of the running for the title. I don't want to dwell too much on the stakes, however, otherwise we run the risk of not being able to put one foot in front of the other. As far as possible, I will try to put all that to the back of my mind and simply get on the fight,” said Loeb.
The Frenchman announced earlier today that he won't take part in the Cambrian Rally this week. He revealed, for the Autosport website, that he initially planned to compete in the aforementioned event – where Mikko Hirvonen will also be at the start – as a preparation for next week's Rally GB, but eventually decided to give himself an extra day of testing on gravel.
Regardless of how the title fight will go down, Loeb admitted that he looks forward to putting a great show for the British fans next weekend, as several rallies this year have resulted in some great battles between him and Hirvonen.
“Mikko and I have enjoyed some particularly close scraps this year already - in Norway, Finland and Australia - and I hope we will see another exciting battle in Wales,” added the Frenchman.
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