Hyundai shows improved form at Rally Portugal and leads with Ott Tänak after Friday – Unfortunate start for Claire Schönborn
Ott Tänak (Hyundai) leads Rally Portugal, the fifth round of the World Rally Championship (WRC), after Friday. After a disappointing performance at the Canary Islands Rally, Hyundai returned to the top at the start of the classic gravel season of the WRC.
Six of the ten special stages on Friday were won by Hyundai drivers, three of them by Tänak. The Estonian took the lead right at the start of the day and held it until the end. “It was tough, especially the second loop. We didn’t really find the sweet spot and had a few difficulties. But the last two stages were clean,” said Tänak at the end of the day on RallyTV.
After eleven of 24 special stages, he leads Sebastien Ogier (Toyota) by 7.0 seconds. Two more Toyota drivers, Takamoto Katsuta (+27.1 seconds) and Kalle Rovanperä (+28.3), follow in third and fourth place, while Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), the reigning world champion, is fifth (+32.7). (to the results)
Elfyn Evans (Toyota) is in sixth place. As the World Championship leader, the Welshman had to be the first driver to complete the special stages on Friday, which is always a significant disadvantage on gravel. His teammate Sami Pajari is seventh. Joshua McErlean, Gregoire Munster (both Ford) and Oliver Solberg (Toyota), who leads the WRC2 standings, complete the top 10.
For a long time on Friday, Hyundai even held a one-two lead. Adrien Fourmaux was hot on Tänak’s heels after two stage wins. But 7.5 kilometers after the start of the eighth stage, the left front suspension on his car broke for no apparent reason and Fourmaux was forced to retire.
WRC RallydePortugal https://t.co/pdiRJCJJdf pic. twitter.com/Hzxw4zopuP
— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) May 16, 2025
Claire Schönborn, winner of the WRC Women’s Development Program, had an unfortunate start to the Rally Portugal. At the start of her season in the WRC3 class, the German rolled her car on the first special stage of the day. Schönborn and co-driver Jara Hain were initially able to continue, but had to retire shortly afterwards when the engine overheated.