On the first morning of the Rally Portugal, Adrien Fourmaux regained the lead with an outstanding performance, while former leader Oliver Solberg struggled to maintain the pace on the dirt tracks.
Fourmaux started the day 3.4 seconds behind Solberg but managed to overtake him in the first stage of an itinerary that included a total of seven tests. The Hyundai driver showed excellent speed, achieving times among the top three in all tests and finishing the morning with a 7.7-second lead before the remote service.
His main morning rival, Toyota’s Sami Pajari, showed significant improvement after making changes to his vehicle. Pajari, who had difficulties the previous day, set the best times in stages four and five, moving up to second position. “Since Thursday, I hadn’t been the best. But today, the feeling is very good in the car, and the times are satisfactory,” commented Pajari.
Meanwhile, nine-time world champion Sébastien Ogier expressed frustration over the behavior of his GR Yaris but improved as the stages progressed, finishing the morning in third position, 8 seconds behind the leader. “We need to make some changes because the pace is not as desired,” noted Ogier.
Thierry Neuville, another member of Hyundai, also struggled with his vehicle during the morning. Despite some difficulties, he managed to win stage six and positioned himself fourth, 8.2 seconds off the top spot.
Solberg, who had finished the previous day with the best time, fell to fifth position. The error in tire selection was crucial for this drop, with the Swedish driver describing his experience as “horrendous.” “Yesterday I had much more grip, but the tire choice was not correct, and I made a mistake,” Solberg admitted.
The teams will continue competing this afternoon with four more stages to face, promising exciting outcomes in a rally that remains one of the most anticipated of the season.
written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_de6965bb45cb118a377e2abdef61d651620d512c