McRae moves to Citroen

Colin Mcrae has been handed the task of turning Citroën from a promising newcomer into a World Championship contender.

The 1995 world champion has made the one-year switch to Citroën after an invitation from Guy Frequelin, the Citroën team principal, which followed Ford's announcement that they would not renew McRae's contract at the end of this season because they are investing heavily in the development of a new car.

The French team will pay the Scotsman a reported £5m as they challenge for honours on their return to the series with an official works team. The signs look good for McRae after a promising season for Citroën's privateer drivers. Sebastien Loeb was denied victory in the first rally of the season when a post-event time penalty dropped him to second but he broke his duck with a win in Germany.

Colin's brother Alister McRae has confirmed that he will stay at Mitsubishi next season, despite a frustrating season with the new Mitsubishi Lancer's teething problems.