Gronholm: This win is very special.

Ford's Marcus Gronholm has admitted that he didn't expect to win this weekend on the Rallye Monte Carlo - his debut event with the 'Blue Oval'.

The Finn, who joined the M-Sport ran squad from Peugeot at the end of last season finished over a minute up on his nearest rival. It was his first win on asphalt and the 19th in his WRC career.

"This is the best feeling. I had a good lead and didn't need to get involved in a massive fight," he said at the finish.

"I didn't think a victory was possible here before the rally. My dream was a podium. But this is the best feeling. Victory is always special, but under the circumstances, this is more than special. It is a fantastic day for everyone in the team and one that I will always remember.

"It is my first win on asphalt, although it wasn't pure asphalt because there was so much ice and snow. It is fantastic to score so well on the first rally and I'm really looking forward to driving on the snow in Sweden on the next round."

Gronholm though wasn't totally happy and speaking in the post-event press conference he conceded that he will need to find more speed in future if he is to match the likes of Sebastien Loeb, who won 10 of the 16 stages and who finished second overall - despite his off on Friday, which mean't he was given a 5 minute penalty for missing SS6.

"It was really tricky conditions - icy. I couldn't imagine anything like this. I'm always worried on this rally. My speed was not fantastic, I'm not happy with that," confirmed Gronholm, "but I am happy with the win."