Gardemeister in the dog house at Ford?

Ford boss, Malcolm Wilson has revealed that he is 'disappointed' with team leader, Toni Gardemeister, after the Finn dropped from fourth to sixth on the final day of the Rally Mexico.

Speaking at the conclusion of the event, Wilson reckoned that the 29-year-old should have done more to try and hold off the attentions of both Sebastien Loeb and Harri Rovanpera - both of whom got the better of the former Skoda driver.

"I'm pleased that Ford kept its points-scoring record intact on a difficult rally but disappointed that Toni could not hold onto fourth," he stated.

"It was the first time Toni has competed here so he goes away with good experience of a tricky event."

To be fair to the Finn though, he wasn't operating at peak performance, as he had a heavy dose of the flu for all three-days.

"I couldn't have driven any faster today, I was flat out all the way," said a defensive Gardemeister.

"I'm a little disappointed with my final position but happy that we finished in the points. I made some mistakes on the opening day and had it not been for that I think I could have finished higher.

"I didn't have a good feeling with the car yesterday but the Focus has been strong throughout on what has been a difficult and tough rally."