WRC
Fourmaux tops tight Portugal fight on Friday morning
Adrien Fourmaux led Vodafone Rally de Portugal at Friday’s midpoint after a slightly damp morning loop reshuffled the battle at the front.
The Hyundai Motorsport driver started the day 3.4sec behind overnight leader Oliver Solberg but moved ahead on the opening Mortágua test and reached remote service with a 7.7sec advantage over Sami Pajari.
Pajari was the standout performer of the morning, winning the first two stages of the day to climb from sixth to second overall. Behind him, Sébastien Ogier, Thierry Neuville and Solberg were blanketed by just 1.9sec, leaving the top five covered by 9.9sec after six stages.
Conditions were far from straightforward. Damp patches helped the early runners in some places, but grip remained inconsistent, with greasy sections, loose stones and changing tyre performance making the loop difficult to read.
Fourmaux’s morning was built on consistency. He was second-fastest to Pajari on both Mortágua and Arganil, then third-fastest on Lousã, where he extended his overall advantage as Solberg continued to struggle.
“It is a very good start to the rally,” said Fourmaux. “We had a good decision with the [tyre] strategy, so that is a team effort.”
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Pajari, meanwhile, transformed his rally after a subdued Thursday. The Toyota Gazoo Racing youngster looked immediately more comfortable on Friday morning, beating Fourmaux by 1.4sec on Mortágua before adding another stage win on the reversed Arganil test.
“Yesterday wasn’t the best, so we tried to find something more for today,” Pajari said. “At least the feeling is really nice. The times so far have been nice today, so I will try to keep up the same speed.”
Ogier ended the loop third, 8.0sec from the lead, after gradually improving the feeling in his GR Yaris Rally1. The seven-time Portugal winner admitted he was still not fully satisfied but moved back ahead of Solberg on the final stage of the loop.
Neuville was only 0.2sec behind in fourth after winning Lousã, his first stage win of the week. The Belgian had been unhappy with his car balance earlier in the morning but felt progress was beginning to come.
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“It was a good stage,” said Neuville after SS6. “I’m trying and changing the car always a little bit, and maybe we will go in the right direction. It will be a tricky afternoon.”
Solberg slipped from first to fifth during a frustrating morning. The overnight leader lost the rally lead on Mortágua and, although he remained in the fight, he admitted the feeling in his Toyota was far from where he wanted it.
“The feeling is awful,” he said after Lousã. “It was not a perfect tyre choice, but that was my mistake. We are still in the fight, so it is okay.”
Championship leader Elfyn Evans was sixth, 15.2sec off the lead, after opening the road throughout the loop. Team-mate Takamoto Katsuta was seventh after also struggling to find confidence, while Dani Sordo dropped to eighth after losing time on hard tyres and overshooting a junction on Arganil.
Josh McErlean and Jon Armstrong completed the top 10 for M-Sport Ford, separated by 3.8sec after matching each other’s time on Lousã. Mārtiņš Sesks was 11th in his similar Puma, 1min 01.4sec from the lead.
