Kris Meeke says he's "grateful" Citroen built such a strong car after he and co-driver Paul Nagle were able to walk away from a massive crash on Saturday during Rally Portugal.
Meeke was taken to hospital for "precautionary checks" but discharged after a couple of hours with only a few bruises.
"I turned into a fast left-hand corner a little bit late, missed my line and got onto the loose gravel on the outside of the corner and lost control of the car," he explained.
"Obviously, I'm sorry for the whole team, who clearly deserved better. I'm really very grateful that they built such a strong car.
"It was my mistake, of course, so I'll take it on the chin. But the feeling in my C3 WRC was so good here in Portugal that I can't help but take the positives away from this weekend."
Meeke is the second driver to take a trip to hospital this week, with Hyundai’s Hayden Paddon complaining of back pain following his SS7 crash on Friday.