Adrien Fourmaux had to retire from the Rally Portugal victory battle due to unfortunate circumstances, easing the pressure on his Hyundai World Rally Championship teammate Ott Tanak, who was leading the rally.
Despite trailing Tanak by just 0.2 seconds after stage five, Fourmaux encountered issues with his Hyundai i20 N in stage eight, causing damage to the left front suspension and forcing him to stop suddenly.
Following Fourmaux’s exit, Tanak managed to extend his lead over Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta with a broken windscreen, while six-time Rally Portugal winner Sebastien Ogier moved into third position.
Kalle Rovanpera struggled in the morning stages with the new Hankook gravel tire but improved his performance on the hard compound in the afternoon, climbing to fourth place.
Overall, the rally featured tight competition and challenging conditions for the drivers, with Hyundai and Toyota both battling at the front of the field.
