Ogier leads Neuville after dramatic Portugal Friday

Pair split by just 3.7s at end of first full day.

Sébastien Ogier will carry a slender 3.7sec lead over Thierry Neuville into Saturday at Vodafone Rally de Portugal after a dramatic Friday afternoon reshaped the lead battle.

Adrien Fourmaux had looked in control for much of the day after moving ahead of overnight leader Oliver Solberg on Friday morning, but the Hyundai driver’s rally unravelled on SS8 Góis when an off-road moment left him with front and rear-right punctures.

Ogier, who had spent the morning searching for pace and balance in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, avoided the trouble and surged into the lead. The seven-time Portugal winner then reinforced his position with fastest time on Lousã 2 before Neuville responded on the final Mortágua test to close the gap to just 3.7sec overnight.

“I’m happy to finish the day,” said the Frenchman. “Tomorrow is the start of a new rally. I think we can be happy with what we have done this afternoon as the morning was tricky.”

Friday had initially belonged to Fourmaux and Sami Pajari. Pajari won both Mortágua 1 and Arganil 1, moving from sixth to second overall, while Fourmaux’s consistent speed and strong tyre call gave him a 7.7sec lead by remote service.

The Frenchman was still leading after SS7, but his rally turned on the following Góis stage. Solberg first went off and rejoined after nearly rolling his car, then Fourmaux suffered a near-identical moment at the same place and stopped after the finish to change two wheels. He fell from first to sixth overall, 34.3sec behind Ogier.

“I lost the brakes, so I couldn’t slow down and we went wide,” Fourmaux explained. “We checked everything with the car and we carry on. It is part of the rally.”

Neuville also endured an imperfect day, fighting the balance of his Hyundai through the morning, but the Belgian stayed out of major trouble and came alive as conditions evolved. He won Lousã 1 before ending the day fastest again on Mortágua 2, taking 1.2sec from Ogier on the final stage.

“At least the performance is there,” said Neuville. “I think we did okay.”

Pajari completed the overnight podium, 15.2sec off the lead, after one of his strongest gravel days in a Rally1 car. The Finn’s morning pace lifted him firmly into contention, though a tyre off the rim on SS7, a half-spin on SS9 and a broken windscreen on the final stage cost him a handful of seconds.

“It has been a really okay day,” Pajari said. “Unfortunately we did lose a few seconds but that is rallying. Two more days to go and we are in the fight.”

Solberg sits fourth, just 1.2sec behind Pajari, after a frustrating day in which he struggled for feeling in the car and lost the lead on Friday morning. The Swede remained within reach despite his Góis moment, then took second-fastest time on the final stage.

Championship leader Elfyn Evans ended the day fifth, 32.5sec from the lead, after spending Friday first on the road. The Welshman described the final Mortágua pass as “like a beach inside the ruts” but completed the day without drama.

Fourmaux is sixth, 1.8sec behind Evans, with Takamoto Katsuta seventh after a difficult day searching for grip and confidence in his Toyota. Dani Sordo holds eighth for Hyundai after being hampered by an incorrect tyre choice in the morning and losing further time through the afternoon.

Josh McErlean is ninth for M-Sport Ford despite receiving a 50sec penalty after being delayed leaving remote service when his Puma Rally1 struggled to start. Team-mate Jon Armstrong, meanwhile, wrestled his car through the afternoon loop without power steering, with co-driver Shane Byrne helping by changing gears and pulling the handbrake in slower corners.

Mārtiņš Sesks had shown improved pace for M-Sport, including fourth-fastest and third-fastest times on Góis and Lousã 2 respectively, before a double puncture on the final stage cost him more than three minutes.

Nikolay Gryazin ended the day as the leading WRC2 runner in 10th overall for Lancia, ahead of Jan Solans in 11th.

Saturday is the longest day of the rally, with two passes each of Felgueiras, Cabeceiras de Basto, Amarante and Paredes before the Lousada super special.

Standings after Friday (SS10 /23):
1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 1h 28m 25.2s
2. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +3.7s
3. S Pajari / M Salminen FIN Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +15.2s
4. O Solberg / E Edmondson SWE Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +16.4s
5. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +28.1s
6. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +34.3s

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