According to Portuguese outlet AutoSport.pt, Diogo Salvi has rented an M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 for his home event. The 55-year-old Salvi, best described as a gentleman driver, has amassed his wealth through a company he founded and now largely competes as a rallying enthusiast in his native Portugal.
Salvi has previously contested 13 WRC events but has never competed in the top category. Most of his WRC entries have come at Rally de Portugal, although he has also appeared twice at Rally Turkey and once at the Acropolis Rally in Greece.
Should Salvi line up in a Puma Rally1, he would become the first Portuguese driver in over a decade to compete at the highest level of the WRC. The last to do so was Armindo Araújo, who raced for WRC Team Mini Portugal in 2012.
The official entry list for Rally de Portugal has not yet been published. Organisers are expected to announce the full line-up on 23 April.
However, AutoSport.pt reports that a total of 12 Rally1 entries are already confirmed for the event. According to their information, five will represent Toyota, four Ford, and three Hyundai.
The same source previously reported that Toyota part-timer Sébastien Ogier will contest the rally, which would bring Toyota’s tally to five entries for the gravel event.
There had been speculation that Dani Sordo might drive a fourth Hyundai Rally1 car in Portugal. But if the report proves accurate, Sordo will not be present in the main category at the event.
Last year, Sordo shared driving duties in Hyundai’s third car. For 2025, the Korean manufacturer has committed to three full-time drivers but has not ruled out fielding a fourth car at select rallies. Sordo, meanwhile, has been competing in the Portuguese national championship this year in a Hyundai Rally2.
M-Sport Ford, according to the report, will field four drivers in Portugal. Full-season entries Grégoire Munster and Josh McErlean will be joined by Latvian star Mārtiņš Sesks, who is set to make his second WRC appearance of the season in Rally1 machinery.
Rally de Portugal will take place from 15 to 18 May. Before that, the WRC heads to the Canary Islands for a brand-new points-scoring round next week.
