Zoom The rally comes first this week-end for Loeb

If Sebastien Loeb finishes the French Rally–Tour of Corsica on Sunday with eight points more in the bag than Mikko Hirvonen, he'll have won his fifth World Championship title on the trot. The Citroen Sport driver, though, prefers to think about the rally first.

"I know the maths and that doesn't affect me," said Loeb. "I'm going to try not to think about it. I'll prepare for the rally as well as possible and stay concentrated to try and win it. We'll see after that."

The Frenchman was in a class of his own in Spain but he expects tougher opposition in Corsica: "The Fords will be closer. The roads are different here; they're narrower and trickier. It's more the kind of special stages that Duval likes. In Spain he arrived without any running; this time he'll be on the pace and I'm sure he'll take pleasure in attacking us every chance he gets."

As for the championship, Loeb doesn't think it's in the bag.

"I know we can win on Sunday, but we can also leave for Japan with only a couple of points' lead if everything goes south," he said. "The nearer we get to the end of the season the greater the pressure."

D.B. © CAPSIS International