Thierry Neuville Wins Rally Portugal 2026 After Toyota Tyre Drama

Thierry Neuville secured victory at Rally Portugal 2026 after dramatic tyre failures completely changed the outcome of the event on the penultimate stage. The Hyundai driver capitalised after Toyota stars Sebastien Ogier and Sami Pajari both suffered punctures during SS22.

Neuville had spent most of the rally chasing Ogier, who controlled the overall lead through much of Saturday and early Sunday. However, the entire battle shifted at Vieira do Minho 2 when Ogier was forced to stop and change a tyre after hitting rocks near the beginning of the stage.

Pajari suffered similar misfortune after striking a large rock positioned directly on the racing line. The Finnish driver lost significant time and dropped from a podium position to seventh overall by the finish.

Read AlsoSebastien Ogier Dominates Rally Portugal 2026 With Toyota

The victory became an especially important result for Neuville following a difficult start to the 2026 WRC season. The Belgian had already come close to victory at Rally Croatia earlier this year before crashing out of the lead on the Power Stage.

“This is really special after what happened in Croatia,” Neuville said after the finish, referring to his costly mistake in April.

In addition to the overall victory, Neuville also collected valuable bonus points by finishing second on the Power Stage and fifth in the Super Sunday classification. The Portugal triumph marked the 23rd WRC victory of his career.

Oliver Solberg completed the rally in second place after delivering one of the strongest performances of his Rally1 career aboard the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. The Swedish driver also topped the Super Sunday standings.

“I am really happy to be back on the podium after some difficult rallies. It is a big relief. Thanks to the team for believing in me,” Solberg said.

World championship leader Elfyn Evans finished third overall and secured another major points haul for Toyota. Evans admitted the Portuguese gravel conditions became extremely difficult as rain created constantly changing grip levels throughout the stages.

“In some places we were too cautious. If you miss the correct line, you become just a passenger,” Evans explained.

Behind the leading trio, Adrien Fourmaux brought Hyundai home in fourth place after winning the rally-ending Power Stage. Takamoto Katsuta completed the top five for Toyota.

Ogier eventually dropped to sixth overall despite leading the rally for long periods of the weekend. Pajari finished seventh after previously looking capable of fighting for a podium result.

“The performance level was actually very strong all weekend. Of course it is disappointing when the final result ends like this, but that is rallying,” Pajari said.

“There are things you simply cannot control. Everything we could control worked well this weekend,” Ogier added.

In WRC2, Teemu Suninen claimed victory ahead of Roope Korhonen, while Andreas Mikkelsen completed the podium in third.

The 2026 World Rally Championship season will continue later this month with the upcoming asphalt rally in Japan, where the battle between Hyundai and Toyota is expected to intensify once again.