Sebastien Loeb will be looking to secure his sixth consecutive WRC drivers' title in the season finale in Wales, insisting that his mission for Rally GB is 'straightforward'.

Victory in Spain, which helped Citroen wrap up the manufacturers' title, had left Loeb trailing Ford rival Mikko Hirvonen by just a single point going into the final round of the year.

That means Loeb has to beat Hirvonen if he is to secure the crown and he insisted that that was his only aim for the weekend – even if it means the Frenchman doesn't battle for victory on the event.

“Our mission in Wales is pretty much straightforward," he said. "We will need to finish ahead of Mikko Hirvonen, and in the points. 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.

“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."

While Hirvonen will run as course car on the Cambrian Rally as his final preparations for the event, Loeb is set to complete an extra day of testing at the wheel of his C4 WRC and the Frenchman said he felt both drivers would be on top form when the action kicks off in the Welsh forests.

"Everything went very well,” he said of the testing completed to date. “As in previous years, I think my C4 WRC will be very competitive on this sort of terrain. Mikko is driving the course car on a rally in Wales this weekend, so I will put in an extra day of testing on Sunday, and both of us promise to be in tip-top form when we arrive in Cardiff!"