Rough gravel stages, long periods without service, changeable weather and increased competition will make Rally Portugal a challenge that will have “everything”, according to World Rally Championship drivers.
The first pure gravel rally of the season looks set to offer up one of the biggest tests of 2026 for crews and teams, and perhaps the hardest-fought rally of the campaign to date.
The reason is down to a number of factors that have combined to make this edition of Rally Portugal particularly challenging.
Rally organisers have made changes to the itinerary this year following criticism from drivers after a packed Friday leg that saw drivers spend 15 hours behind the wheel. It prompted the FIA to introduce mandatory rest periods for 2026. A minimum of 10 hours per day must be dedicated to rest, with one leg featuring at least 12 hours.
As a result, Rally Portugal has now added an extra day of competition to avoid a repeat of last year. While the rally distance remains more or less the same – 344km of stages and approximately 1500km of road sections – it will be spread across four days more evenly.
“There will be everything I think. It is not like Africa, but here the speed is higher. I would expect a very close battle and changing positions,” Toyota’s Oliver Solberg told Motorsport.
“I think a lot can happen with punctures and tyres. We don’t have a lot of tyres so tyre wear will be tricky. I think this will be a big topic on Friday and then we will have rain on Saturday and Sunday, so we will have everything.”
The speed-versus-preservation battle
Crews will have to navigate through Thursday’s three stages and Friday’s seven tests without a return to the service park for a full service. The legs will only be punctuated by remote services where minimal repairs can be carried out, which will increase the emphasis on finding the right balance of speed and preservation on the rough gravel stages, where the puncture risk is high.
“It is already a very tough rally, and the format – especially Thursday and Friday when you don’t have so much support from going to service areas – you have to play the long game,” M-Sport’s Jon Armstrong told Motorsport. “You can’t afford to be too cautious but for sure you want to be as fast as you can be. You need to keep some margin so you don’t abuse the car or damage something.”
Jon Armstrong, Shane Byrne, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1
Photo by: M-Sport
On the whole, the drivers see the itinerary change as an improvement from last year, but it has meant the pre-event recce has resulted in the crews doing 700km a day from Monday to Wednesday to prepare the all-important pace notes.
“It is still long but not really in stage kilometres. It is the thing you want to try and avoid, but it is what it is. It is more sensible than last year,” said Toyota’s Elfyn Evans.
Toyota team-mate Sami Pajari added: “I think this year there will be a little bit more rest time, so that is good.”
Increased competition as Hyundai rejoins the fight
There is a very high chance that this will be the most hotly-contested rally of the season so far, as Hyundai appears to have a package to take the fight to rivals Toyota.
The Korean marque challenged for the victory at this event last year with both Ott Tanak and Adrien Fourmaux before suffering mechanical issues.
Hyundai has since made improvements to its i20 N Rally that has so far struggled this year, and a new engine upgrade should offer a further boost this weekend. Thierry Neuville, who topped Wednesday’s shakedown, expects this will be the first rally of the year where he can properly fight for Hyundai’s first win of the year. It is a view shared by their rivals Toyota.
“On paper in shakedown you can see the performance is there and they [Hyundai] were the fastest last year,” Ogier told Motorsport.
Sébastien Ogier, Vincent Landais, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Photo by: Toyota Racing
“Ott was clearly the fastest driver here last year and without his problem he would have won the rally. Like always, rallying is about speed but consistency, and let’s see what happens. But on pure speed I think they can definitely be a competition for us.”
Rain showers expected to shake up the order
It is highly likely that after two dry, gruelling days on Thursday and Friday, rain showers will arrive on Saturday and Sunday to add even more spice to the mix.
The arrival of rain will offer those starting at the top of the road order a reprieve from sweeping duties, but it will create even more treacherous conditions and increase the possibility for mistakes. With crews limited to 16 soft tyres, preserving rubber throughout the rally will also be key to victory.
“The approach we will not change but of course we want to be better [than last year],” said championship leader Evans, who will open the road on Thursday, having had the same duty last year.
“But sometimes your hands are also quite tied. For sure we want to do as well as we can and maybe with the weather looking unstable it will not help us at the start of the rally, but it might keep things open even if the start is difficult.”
Hyundai’s Neuville added: “I think overall road conditions will not really help us here this weekend but it will not penalise us either. I think the fight is on. The weather will be critical and demanding, and it might turn the leaderboard around, and hopefully it plays in our favour.”
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