WRC
Preview: Vodafone Rally de Portugal
The WRC's early-season frontrunners face a very different kind of test this week as Vodafone Rally de Portugal threatens to turn their championship success into a disadvantage.
After five rounds, Toyota Gazoo Racing drivers Elfyn Evans, Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari occupy the top three places in the drivers’ standings. But on Portugal’s sandy gravel roads, running early can mean sweeping loose gravel for those behind - placing the championship leaders in the firing line when round six gets under way.
Based in Matosinhos, Portugal marks the first European gravel rally of the 2026 season and brings the WRC back to one of its classic fixtures. Across 23 stages and 344.91 competitive kilometres, crews will face a demanding mix of soft surfaces, rough second passes, rocks, ruts and famous stages including Arganil, Amarante and Fafe.
Evans arrives back on top of the championship after finishing second at Rally Islas Canarias, where he also claimed maximum points on Super Sunday. The Welshman won in Portugal in 2021, but has reached the podium only once since then and has often been forced to deal with a difficult road position on the opening gravel stages.
Katsuta starts just two points behind his team-mate after losing the championship lead in the Canary Islands. The Japanese driver has twice finished fourth in Portugal, but the rally has also delivered frustration in recent seasons, including mechanical failure in 2023 and suspension damage on Amarante in 2024.
Pajari, meanwhile, has been one of the stories of the season so far. The Finn claimed his fourth consecutive podium last time out and has more top-three finishes than any other driver this year, but Portugal will ask a different question of the Toyota youngster as he tackles the first classic European gravel rally from near the front of the field.
Toyota’s strongest victory threat, however, may come from slightly further back. Sébastien Ogier returns to Portugal fresh from his first win of the season in the Canary Islands and with a record unmatched by anyone on this event. The Frenchman claimed his maiden WRC victory here in 2010 and has since become Rally de Portugal’s most successful driver with seven wins from 15 starts.
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Oliver Solberg also has reason to see Portugal as a chance to respond. He was locked in a close fight with Ogier in the Canary Islands before crashing out on the penultimate stage, extending a run of retirements that has stalled his early-season momentum. Portugal has brought mixed fortunes in the past, but it was also the scene of his WRC2 victory last year.
For Hyundai Motorsport, the event offers an important chance to reset after being outpaced by Toyota on the high-grip asphalt of the Canary Islands. Adrien Fourmaux was the team’s leading finisher last time out and was fighting near the front in Portugal last year before breaking his suspension on Arganil.
Thierry Neuville is a former Portugal winner and has finished inside the top five on every Rally1-era edition of the event, while Dani Sordo brings vast experience on roads where he has finished on the podium seven times. The Spaniard made his Rally1 return in the Canary Islands and now switches to an event where his consistency has long been one of his strengths.
M-Sport Ford also has clear targets as its young Rally1 line-up returns to gravel. Josh McErlean was the squad’s top finisher in the Canary Islands and comes back to Portugal having scored his best top-class result here last season. Jon Armstrong has previous experience of the event from Junior WRC, where he showed strong pace in 2022 before retiring from the lead, while Mārtiņš Sesks rejoins the team for the second round of his part-time campaign.
The rally starts earlier than usual, with shakedown on Wednesday before competitive action begins with three stages on Thursday afternoon.
