Thierry Neuville Finally Breaks Through in Portugal

Thierry Neuville finally secured his first victory of the 2026 season after winning Rally Portugal for Hyundai Motorsport. The result marked an emotional breakthrough for the Belgian driver following a difficult run of results during the opening phase of the WRC campaign.

Neuville inherited the rally lead during Sunday’s penultimate stage after Toyota Gazoo Racing driver Sebastien Ogier suffered a puncture while leading the event. The incident completely changed the outcome of the rally and opened the door for Hyundai to take control.

The Belgian eventually sealed victory with a 16.3-second advantage over Toyota driver Oliver Solberg, who climbed to second place in the final classification.

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For Neuville, the Portugal triumph carried major emotional significance after the heartbreak he experienced earlier this season at Rally Croatia. On that occasion, his victory hopes ended with a dramatic crash on the final stage.

“This is a very special victory after everything that happened in Croatia and the difficult period we have been going through for quite some time now,” said Neuville.

“This result was badly needed. Not only for me and Martijn, but for the whole team and all the people around us who work so hard throughout the year. I let them down in Croatia, but here we fought back and never gave up.”

Throughout the Portugal weekend, Hyundai had already shown signs of improved competitiveness from Wednesday’s shakedown session, where Neuville set the fastest overall time. Although he did not dominate every stage, the Belgian consistently maintained strong rhythm while avoiding major mistakes in the constantly changing gravel conditions.

That approach became crucial because Rally Portugal 2026 proved extremely demanding, with rapidly changing grip levels, muddy stages, and a high risk of punctures during the afternoon loops and final day.

“All weekend we stayed close to the front and always had a good rhythm. Nothing was ever completely perfect, but somehow we always managed to get through,” Neuville explained.

“In the end, we finally got the victory that we probably deserved already earlier.”

The victory represents an important result for Hyundai in the manufacturers’ battle against Toyota while also reviving Neuville’s challenge for the 2026 WRC drivers’ championship. After an inconsistent start to the season, the Portugal result now provides significant momentum heading into the upcoming gravel rallies.