Thirty-nine-year-old Grönholm said the decision was difficult, but he believed the time was right as he wanted to retire while still at the top level of the sport.  This season he has already won five rallies to open a 10-point lead in the Drivers' Championship with five rounds remaining, and help Ford build a 46-point lead in the manufacturers' standings.

"This has been an incredibly hard decision for me to make," said Grönholm.  "Rallying has been my life for so many years and when the Monte Carlo Rally comes round in January to start next year's Championship, it will feel strange not to be there.  But the time is right for me to finish now.  I wanted to stop while I still had the speed to win rallies.  I didn't want to leave the decision too late so that I wasn't capable of winning any longer.

BP-Ford team director Malcolm Wilson paid tribute to Grönholm.  "I'm sorry that he is going to stop but I fully respect his decision.  His driving achievements speak for themselves but his input to the team, in particular his encouragement and help to Mikko Hirvonen, will be greatly missed as they have formed the strongest driving partnership in the WRC.  We knew his retirement was a possibility.  We are developing plans for next season and when they are finalised we will confirm them.  In the meantime I would like to try to help Marcus and Timo to achieve a unique feat by ending their careers with a world title in their final season together," said Wilson.