The action by the seaside took place on tarmac, covering just under three kilometres, so a true picture of performance has yet to emerge. The actual competition includes over 340 kilometres of gravel special stages.
This was acknowledged by Evans himself, who will face road-sweeping duties on ten gravel stages on Friday.
“I don’t know how this will hold up. Tomorrow’s going to be a big day. I’ll just try to drive well and if the feeling in the car is good, I’ll be happy. It’s definitely not going to be easy,” summed up Evans.
The second fastest times on the opening stage came from Evans’ teammate Sebastien Ogier and Hyundai’s Ott Tänak. The duo trailed the Welshman’s benchmark by just two-tenths of a second.
“At least it was more fun than last year when we had to save tyres. Still, it’s a bit of a Mickey Mouse stage, but there’s no room for mistakes. You’ve got to take care of the car,” said Tänak.
“I drove a really clean stage. The real rally starts tomorrow, like everyone says after a stage like this. You’ve got to stay sharp from morning until late in the evening. Hopefully our setup is spot on,” Ogier commented.
Fourth fastest on the spectator stage was Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux, just 0.4 seconds off Evans’ pace. Defending world champion Thierry Neuville came in fifth (+0.6), and Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä was sixth (+1.3).
“Tomorrow will be a tough day. There’ll definitely be a lot to sweep. I think the alarm will go off around five in the morning. I’m not too happy about that, but that’s life,” Rovanperä quipped.
Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta was seventh, 1.9 seconds off the lead. Sami Pajari came eighth, trailing the top time by 4.1 seconds. Martins Sesks and WRC2’s fastest driver Gus Greensmith rounded out the top ten.
Rally Portugal concludes on Sunday.
Rally Portugal standings after SS1/24:
| POS. | Driver | Car | Time |
| 1. | Elvyn Evans | Toyota | 2:18.1 |
| 2. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +0.2 |
| 2. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +0.2 |
| 4. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +0.4 |
| 5. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +0.6 |
| 6. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +1.3 |
| 7. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +1.9 |
| 8. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +4.1 |
| 9. | Martins Sesks | Ford | +5.0 |
| 10. | Gus Greensmith | Skoda | +5.5 |
Rally Portugal Itinerary (CET):
Thursday 15.5.
09.01 Shakedown: Baltar (5,72 km)
20.05 SS1: Figueira da Foz (2,94 km)
Friday 16.5.
08.35 SS2: Mortagua 1 (14,59 km)
10.05 SS3: Lousa 1 (12,28 km)
10.53 SS4: Gois 1 (14,30 km)
11.41 SS5: Arganil 1 (14,41 km)
13.31 Remote Service Arganil 20min
14.05 SS6: Lousa 2 (12,28 km)
14.53 SS7: Gois 2 (14,30 km)
15.41 SS8: Arganil 2 (14,41 km)
16.31 Remote Service Arganil 20min
18.05 SS9: Mortagua 2 (14,59 km)
19.35 SS10: Agueda/Sever (15,08 km)
20.20 SS11: Sever/Albergaria (20,24 km)
Saturday 17.5.
08.35 SS12: Vieira do Minho 1 (17,69 km)
10.35 SS13: Cabeceiras de Basto 1 (19,91 km)
11.25 SS14: Amarante 1 (22,10 km)
13.46 Service 44min
16.05 SS15: Vieira do Minho 2 (17,69 km)
17.05 SS16: Cabeceiras de Basto 2 (19,91 km)
18.55 SS17: Amarante 2 (22,10 km)
20.05 SS18: Lousada (3,52 km)
Sunday 18.5.
07.43 SS19: Paredes 1 (16,09 km)
08.48 SS20: Felgueiras 1 (8,81 km)
09.35 SS21: Fafe 1 (11,18 km)
10.58 SS22: Paredes 2 (16,09 km)
12.03 SS23: Felgueiras 2 (8,81 km)
14.15 SS24: Fafe 2 (11,18 km) *Power Stage
