Sébastien Ogier at Rally Portugal
The Rally of Portugal has turned chaotic, but nobody and nothing can stop Sébastien Ogier.
After an impressive morning, especially in stage 14 under heavy rain, Oliver Solberg took the overall lead. However, the nine-time World Rally Champion struck back in the afternoon, and neither the tricky conditions, the downpours, the setbacks, nor rivals like Neuville, Pajari, and Solberg could slow him down or knock him off the top spot.
Dani Sordo remains in 8th place with issues, following a Saturday filled with crashes for the Ford drivers.
Saturday’s action began with Sami Pajari winning the first pass through Felgueiras, as Neuville chipped away at the gap. Ogier started the day with a 3.7-second advantage over the Hyundai driver, but the Belgian reduced it to 1.7 seconds. The nine-time champion responded in stage 12, posting the second-fastest time and extending his lead over Neuville to 5 seconds. Adrien Fourmaux claimed the stage win, though he didn’t recognize the “car from yesterday” that had won Friday’s first stage.
Then came Oliver Solberg’s moment. The Swede set the fastest time in stage 13, where the long-awaited rain finally arrived. The showers affected several drivers, including Ogier and Neuville, and although the rally leaders reported losing “some time,” they still held the top positions. Solberg shook up the standings and surged into the lead after a spectacular stage 14.
Rain battered the first pass through Paredes, and the Swede made the difference with a “good rhythm” and an ability to “read the grip,” posting the fastest time and pulling 7.2 seconds ahead of Elfyn Evans in second. This allowed the Toyota driver to overtake Ogier, Neuville, and Pajari, jumping from fourth to first. “Unbelievable. I feel I did my best, but I just had no grip. It’s not just about risk—I have no idea how it’s possible, to be honest,” said the nine-time world champion.
Solberg’s joy and lead were short-lived, as Ogier clocked the fastest time in stage 15 and reclaimed the top spot. “I had to push a bit; we needed to respond,” said the Frenchman. That stage began with Armstrong rolling his car just 600 meters after the start. Conditions were treacherous, and the risk of a puncture or crash was “enormous,” as Pajari put it. In stage 16, Solberg suffered a front-right puncture, losing 15.8 seconds to Ogier, who posted the fifth-fastest time. The Frenchman managed “risk management” carefully on that stage.
The surface was extremely slippery, and McErlean went off the road in stage 17. Neuville said that stage would decide the day, and so it did—Ogier secured the lead by “surviving” and winning the stage. To close Saturday, Ogier won a tricky stage 18. Halfway through, rain started again, spoiling things for Solberg, Pajari, Neuville, and the Frenchman. The Swedish Toyota driver continued to struggle, spinning out. Solberg ended the day by setting the fastest time in the Lousada super special, marked by McErlean’s crash under heavy downpours. Even championship leader Evans summed up the day: “I’ve never experienced anything like this, and honestly, I don’t want to go through it again with this rain.”
With “a good day” and “an incredible afternoon,” Sébastien Ogier leads the overall standings with a 21.9-second advantage over Neuville in second, and 25.8 seconds over Pajari in third. After the ups and downs, Solberg sits fourth, 49.6 seconds behind the Frenchman. Evans is fifth, while Fourmaux and Katsuta are sixth and seventh, over a minute behind Ogier. Although Dani Sordo has virtually secured eighth place, it was not a good day for the Spaniard: “Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I had such a bad day behind the wheel. It was really bad.”
