Wheel of fortune: Toyota salvages Portugal podium

PORTO, Portugal — Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team came away with a double podium finish at Rally de Portugal after a late setback cost Sébastien Ogier a possible victory in the sixth round of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship.

Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais looked set to win the gravel rally after a strong run through wet and difficult stages on Saturday. 

They held a 17.3-second lead after the first two stages on Sunday on the sandy roads northeast of Porto.

The race turned into the penultimate stage at Vieira do Minho. Ogier stopped to change a wheel and tire after trouble in rutted and rocky conditions. 

The stop cost him around two minutes and dropped him out of the lead.

Teammate Sami Pajari also stopped in the same stage after a similar problem, which ended his bid for a fifth straight podium with co-driver Marko Salminen.

The late drama opened the door for Toyota team-mates Oliver Solberg and Elfyn Evans. Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson finished second overall, 16.3 seconds behind winner Thierry Neuville of Hyundai. Evans and co-driver Scott Martin took third, 29.1 seconds off the winning time.

Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe won the rally in their Hyundai i20 N Rally1 with a total time of three hours, 53 minutes and 1.7 seconds. 

Adrien Fourmaux finished fourth for Hyundai, followed by Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta in fifth. Ogier ended up sixth, while Pajari settled for seventh.

Toyota still gained valuable points from the weekend. Solberg and Evans finished first and second in the Super Sunday classification. 

Evans also set Toyota’s best time in the rally-ending Power Stage with the third-fastest run overall.

Evans extended his lead in the drivers’ championship to 12 points over Katsuta. Solberg moved up to third in the standings, 31 points behind Evans. 

After six rounds, Evans leads with 123 points, followed by Katsuta with 111 and Solberg with 92.

Toyota also strengthened its lead in the manufacturers’ standings. Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team now has 311 points, ahead of Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team with 218. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 sits third with 86 points.

Deputy team principal Juha Kankkunen said losing a rally so close to the finish was frustrating, especially after Ogier and Pajari had driven strongly in tough conditions. 

He said rallying can change quickly and noted that Solberg and Evans still delivered important points for the team.

Ogier said the puncture came in a rough section where rocks were in the driving line. He said the team did what it could control during the weekend, but the result did not match the effort.

Solberg said the event had been difficult and uneven, but the podium gave him relief after two tough rallies. 

Evans said he did not want to gain positions through his teammates’ misfortune, but accepted the points after a demanding weekend.

Toyota also had success in WRC2 through the GR Yaris Rally2. Teemu Suninen and Janni Hussi won the category in a Delta Rally-prepared car. 

Fellow Finns Roope Korhonen and Anssi Viinikka finished third in class in another GR Yaris Rally2.

Toyota’s next stop is Rally Japan from 28 to 31 May. The event moves forward from its usual November schedule and will take place on asphalt roads in Aichi and Gifu, with the service park based in Toyota City near Nagoya.