Ogier Extends Rally Lead After SS17 Drama

Sébastien Ogier strengthened his lead at Rally Portugal 2026 after setting the fastest time on SS17 Amarante 2 in extremely muddy conditions. The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver delivered another composed performance in difficult weather and extended his advantage over his closest rivals.

The second pass through Amarante on Saturday afternoon was dramatically different compared to the dry conditions seen earlier in the day. Heavy rain transformed several sections into slippery mud-covered gravel, forcing drivers to constantly adapt braking points, racing lines, and throttle application across the demanding 26.24-kilometre stage.

Ogier remained fully in control despite conditions that turned parts of the stage into a survival challenge rather than an outright sprint. The Frenchman now leads Thierry Neuville by 16 seconds in the overall rally classification.

Read AlsoSolberg Responds in SS19 as Ogier Stays Safe

“It was not the most enjoyable stage. In some places it was more about surviving, so I will gladly take the fastest time,” said Ogier.

One of the biggest surprises on SS17 came from Ford driver Martins Sesks. Running first on the road, the Latvian driver produced the second-fastest stage time and finished only 11.2 seconds behind Ogier despite rapidly deteriorating conditions.

Meanwhile, Josh McErlean endured a difficult stage after spinning at a hairpin before later sliding off the road at a fast right-hand corner. The Irish Ford driver admitted he had no control once the car lost grip on the muddy surface.

“Crazy. The car just spun at the hairpin and during the off we were complete passengers. Thanks to the spectators for helping us,” McErlean explained.

Oliver Solberg set the third-fastest stage time but still lost nearly 12 seconds to Ogier. The Swedish driver remained concerned about tyre durability after suffering a puncture earlier on SS16.

“It is a bit frustrating because we only have one spare tyre left and I do not know if we had another puncture again,” Solberg said.

Neuville was faster than Sami Pajari, but the Hyundai driver still lost more than 12 seconds to Ogier on the stage. Neuville admitted the grip levels were extremely difficult to predict, particularly under braking after high-speed sections.

“There were many flat-out sections, but you never know how slippery the braking zones will be afterwards. I knew Ogier would push hard on this stage because this was the decisive stage of the day,” said Neuville.

Pajari now trails second place by five seconds after recording the sixth-fastest time on SS17. The young Toyota driver described the stage as extremely difficult, with the car repeatedly losing momentum in the slippery conditions.

“It was extremely slippery. At times it felt like the car simply stopped. Difficult is the right word to describe it. I thought we probably lost around a minute,” Pajari explained.

Pos	Driver	Car	Time
1	Sébastien Ogier	Toyota	2:35:08.4
2	Thierry Neuville	Hyundai	+16.0
3	Sami Pajari	Toyota	+21.0
4	Oliver Solberg	Toyota	+31.7
5	Elfyn Evans	Toyota	+49.9
6	Adrien Fourmaux	Hyundai	+1:05.4
7	Takamoto Katsuta	Toyota	+1:22.1
8	Dani Sordo	Hyundai	+3:16.6
9	Martins Sesks	Ford	+6:26.5
10	Josh McErlean	Ford	+6:36.4

Remaining Rally Portugal 2026 Saturday stages (Western Indonesia Time):

Stage	Name	Distance	Time
SS18	Paredes 2	16.09 km	02:05 WIB
SS19	SSS Lousada	3.78 km	03:05 WIB

Rally Portugal has now entered the final phase of Saturday with weather conditions continuing to deteriorate and grip levels becoming increasingly unpredictable. With only two stages remaining before Sunday’s deciding leg, tyre management, risk control, and survival on the muddy gravel roads are expected to become decisive factors in the fight for victory.