Seeing Jari-Matti Latvala crash heavily during Rally Poland's closing super special stage – thereby putting an end to a much-anticipated one-two finish for the Ford World Rally Team – left team boss Malcolm Wilson almost speechless.

"Needless to say, I did not expect to see what I saw at the super special stage right in front of me," he said.

At the conclusion of a perfectly conducted and very fast-paced Rally Poland, eighth round of this year's World Rally Championship, Mikko Hirvonen took a well-deserved victory and all that was left to do was for equally-deserving teammate Latvala to secure second overall position on the event's closing showcase.

But the Finn hit hard against a sand-filled oil barrel: the collision broke his car's steering system and sent the works Ford Focus RS straight into the barriers on the other side of the track, causing much damage, starting a small fire, and putting an end to an otherwise faultless performance in Poland.

"You can imagine the shock for all of us," Team Principal Wilson stated. "The whole team were there, hopefully ready to celebrate a fantastic one-two victory on a new rally. It went there and then. Three days of a great job just evaporated in front of everyone. Just unbelievable..."

Latvala's error was very costly to Ford in regards to the manufacturers' standings as the team fights to catch up to Citroen.

"We were really in a position to challenge for the Championship. I am not saying it is dead and buried, but we sure have a mountain to climb," indicated the Ford team boss.

Latvala is known for his high pace and determined approach which helped him win in Sardinia this year and reach third place on the podium at the following event in Greece. Two weeks on - and up to his surprise retirement - the Finn had conducted a highly impressive weekend in Poland as well.

However, he is also known for making costly mistakes here and there. The super special incident has team boss Wilson scratching his head in frustration.

"Every time he makes a mistake it always tends to be a different type of situation, but I'll say this for sure: without any question this is the biggest mistake of his career," he declared.

"To be perfectly honest I am running out of ideas. I think it is difficult at this moment in time," Wilson added. "We have invested in Jari-Matti for a long time. He made good progress in Sardinia and now we are back to square one again."

Very much aware of the consequences of his mistake, Jari-Matti Latvala said he will understand if Ford management decide that "they don't want me to carry on with the team."

However, Malcolm Wilson does not believe that decision needs to be taken and will trust Latvala to quickly learn from his hard lesson before the next WRC round.

"He will start Rally Finland in a BP Ford car," Wilson confirmed at the FIA post-race press conference.