Pajari Explodes on SS4 as Fourmaux Leads Portugal

Sami Pajari delivered a major response on Friday morning at Rally Portugal WRC 2026 by setting the fastest time on SS4 Mortágua 1 and immediately reshaping the overall battle at the front of the rally.

The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver beat Adrien Fourmaux by 1.4 seconds and finished 1.6 seconds ahead of Sebastien Ogier on the 14.59-kilometre gravel stage.

The result marked an important turnaround for Pajari after a relatively cautious opening day on Thursday. Slightly damp road conditions during the morning loop helped reduce the sweeping disadvantage normally suffered by the early starters.

Baca JugaSkandal Keamanan Rally Portugal, Elfyn Evans Nyaris Celaka

“The car felt much better than yesterday,” Pajari explained.

From a technical perspective, changing gravel grip conditions became a major factor on SS4. The slightly wet surface helped compact the loose gravel layer, reducing the road-cleaning effect for drivers running near the front of the order.

Pajari admitted the feeling from his Toyota Rally1 package improved significantly compared to Thursday, particularly regarding traction and stability during fast direction changes on the narrow Mortágua roads.

Meanwhile, Fourmaux remained satisfied despite missing out on the stage victory. The Hyundai Motorsport driver described Mortágua as one of the most technical and demanding stages of Rally Portugal.

“Driving the gravel car on this stage feels really enjoyable,” Fourmaux said.

Four-time world champion Elfyn Evans and Ogier also capitalised on the favourable morning conditions to improve their overall positions. Ogier climbed to second overall while Evans moved ahead of Oliver Solberg.

Solberg endured a difficult start to Friday after leading the rally overnight. The Swedish driver lost almost 10 seconds to Pajari on SS4 and dropped to fourth overall.

Thanks to the stage victory, Pajari climbed to fifth in the overall standings and now trails new rally leader Fourmaux by only 5.9 seconds.

The overall battle remains extremely close, with less than six seconds covering the top five positions after the opening four stages.

Position	Driver	Car	Gap
1	Adrien Fourmaux	Hyundai	37:17,4
2	Sebastien Ogier	Toyota	+4,0
3	Elfyn Evans	Toyota	+4,8
4	Oliver Solberg	Toyota	+5,0
5	Sami Pajari	Toyota	+5,9
6	Thierry Neuville	Hyundai	+7,0

Rally Portugal still features six more stages on Friday, including the second passes through Mortágua and Arganil, which are expected to become increasingly demanding due to surface degradation and possible weather changes.

With Hyundai and Toyota now separated by only a few seconds at the front, Rally Portugal 2026 is rapidly developing into one of the closest gravel battles of the WRC season so far.