Portugal May 7–10 2026
Source: https://www.wrc.com/en
The 59th Vodafone Rally de Portugal is underway, running from May 7-10, 2026. It marks the championship’s first return to traditional European gravel and is living up to its reputation as a notoriously tough test of endurance and strategy.
Oliver Solberg leads the rally overnight after Thursday’s opening leg .
🏁 Current Standings After Day 1
The opening day featured three stages around Coimbra and the Figueira da Foz superspecial. Here is the top order heading into the long Friday leg:
- Oliver Solberg (Toyota) – 28:00.0
- Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai) – +3.4 sec
- Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) – +3.8 sec (Won the superspecial)
- Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) – +5.7 sec
- Elfyn Evans (Toyota) – +5.8 sec (Championship leader)
🗓️ Event Schedule & Key Stages
The rally is spread over four days, covering 23 special stages and 344.91 competitive kilometers. The itinerary has been adjusted to avoid the marathon 15-hour days of previous years .
- Today (Friday): The longest day of the rally, featuring a loop of stages (Mortágua, Arganil, Lousã) repeated without a full service stop. Crews only get a remote tire-fitting zone. Arganil (18.62km) is the centerpiece of this grueling leg .
- Saturday: Action moves north for stages like Amarante (the longest of the rally at 26.24km) and Paredes, finishing with the Lousada superspecial .
- Sunday: The finale features the iconic Fafe stage. The second pass (ES23) serves as the Power Stage, where bonus points are awarded .
🚗 The Big Stories
- The “Mortal” Friday: Drivers face a high risk of punctures on Friday without a service park. The roads are sandy on the first pass but become rough and rutted on the second pass .
- Weather Factor: Rain is forecast for Saturday and Sunday. If it hits, it will turn the dusty gravel into a muddy, slippery surface, completely shuffling the running order .
- Hyundai’s Upgrade: The team has brought a new engine upgrade for the i20 N. While Thierry Neuville set the pace in shakedown, Toyota’s pure pace (with Ogier and Solberg) has kept them ahead after Day 1 .
📊 Where to Follow
- Championship Context: Elfyn Evans leads the drivers’ standings, but Ogier is looking for his third win of the season (he has a record 7 wins in Portugal). Solberg is aiming to convert his overnight lead into a career-first victory .
