Solberg had never finished higher than fifth on the first event of a new season but eclipsed his personal best with third place on the opening round of the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia, which finished in the Principality yesterday (Sunday).

“I’m over the moon,” said the 2003 world champion. “I’ve absolutely loved this rally from start to finish and this is the best start to a WRC season I’ve ever had. It is my first rally in the Ford Fiesta RS WRC with so little testing beforehand, and we improved our speed all the way through. For me, this rally was mainly about getting some kilometres in the car, improving our speed and getting to the finish.”

Asked about his Ford World Rally Team-run Fiesta, Solberg was full of praise: “I love the car - it is really fast, I can tell you! It suits my driving style very well. I’ve been waiting for a long time to get into a situation like this, and to have the full support from the Ford team feels fantastic.”

Solberg was the factory Ford squad’s only finisher on the event after his team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala crashed out of the lead on the opening day of the rally.