WRC: Latvala Italy defeat a minor setback

Volkswagen driver Jari-Matti Latvala says losing Rally Italy was a setback rather than a killer blow to his World Rally Championship aspirations. Latvala blew a half-minute lead to let teammate Sebastien Ogier win his fourth event from six starts this season - expanding his lead over the Finn to 33 points.

"I had this chance [to win again]," said Latvala. "I held it in my hands again and I let it slip. The main thing is that the championship is still alive and we can recover.

"This was a good chance to get closer to him, but it didn't happen because of my mistake. "It could have been worse, if I had tried to push harder and then gone off the road, I would have had zero points. If Ogier has a problem and if he doesn't finish a round then we are right there. We keep pushing."

Latvala's 2014 campaign has so far proved more successful than last season, where, after six rounds, he trailed his fellow VW Polo R WRC driver by 52 points.