Hyundai hit back after Elfyn Evans’ (Toyota) early win by taking full control of the gravel stages held on Friday morning in central Portugal. Ott Tänak leads the rally by a narrow margin of 0.2 seconds over teammate Adrien Fourmaux, in an opening leg marked by three different stage winners in five stages. Toyota is expected to counterattack, promising a thrilling battle through to Sunday.
Tänak won the day’s first two stages (Mortágua 1 and Lousã 1), while Fourmaux was fastest in the following two (Góis 1 and Arganil 1), with only 0.2s separating the pair. After the loop, the Estonian commented:
“The grip was low and we had to fight with the car. The battle is intense.”
The Frenchman was pleased:
“I had a good feeling in the car, even though the grip was low. It was crazy. I made a good effort and I’m happy with the tyre choice. But there’s still a long way to go.”
The Hyundai i20 N Rally1 drivers were particularly quick through the slippery and rough stages in central Portugal, while Toyota and Ford drivers struggled with grip — especially in the damp sections — a challenge already anticipated by many during pre-event testing.
Sébastien Ogier sits third, 7.4s off the lead, followed by Takamoto Katsuta at 8.1s and Kalle Rovanperä, who dropped two spots after Arganil and is now 13.1s behind Tänak. The Finnish driver expressed his frustration:
“Grip was very tricky, and we didn’t make the best tyre choice.”
Championship leader Elfyn Evans is facing the tough job of running first on the road, losing time and ending the loop 21.7s behind the lead:
“The grip was like driving on glass. I just couldn’t be as efficient as I wanted,” said the Welshman.
There were also setbacks for reigning world champion Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), who spun in the opening stage of the day, and for Martinš Sesks (Ford Puma Rally1), who suffered a puncture.
In WRC2, Oliver Solberg (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) was dominant, winning all four stages of the morning and building a 16.7s lead over Yohan Rossel (Citroën C3 Rally2) and 19.4s over Gus Greensmith (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2).
In the Portuguese Rally Championship (CPR), the morning saw a tight battle between Kris Meeke (Toyota) and Dani Sordo (Hyundai), with Meeke leading by 15.1s. Armindo Araújo (Škoda) is third overall — and top Portuguese driver — with a 7.4s advantage over Pedro Almeida (Škoda).
The afternoon loop includes repeat runs of Mortágua, Lousã, Góis, and Arganil, followed by Águeda/Sever and Sever/Albergaria.
Overall standings after Section 2:
1. Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) – 38:45.1
2. Adrien Fourmaux / Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) – +0.2s
3. Sébastien Ogier / Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – +7.4s
4. Takamoto Katsuta / Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – +8.1s
5. Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – +13.1s
6. Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – +21.7s
7. Thierry Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) – +25.8s
8. Sami Pajari / Marko Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – +30.9s
9. Joshua McErlean / Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) – +47.7s
10. Grégoire Munster / Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) – +50.2s
11. Oliver Solberg / Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) – +1:20.1 (1st Rally2)
12. Kris Meeke / Stuart Loudon (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) – +1:44.9 (1st CPR)
13. Armindo Araújo / Luís Ramalho (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) – +3:19.2 (1st Portuguese driver)