The so-called big conditional points are up for grabs based on Saturday evening’s results. Ogier set the fastest time on the penultimate special stage of the day, significantly distancing himself from his challenger, Ott Tänak.
Leading the gravel rally, Ogier beat Tänak by 1.6 seconds on the second run through the Paredes stage. Overall, the Toyota driver now has a 13.5-second lead over Hyundai’s Tänak.
“It’s good to be in the lead, so far it has been a clean day for us, so we need to finish well on the super special stage,” Ogier said.
Tänak had hoped for a first-place finish and the big points on Saturday, but he was unable to catch up to Ogier during the afternoon loop. Tänak’s situation could have been different without the tyre puncture he suffered in the morning, which cost him crucial seconds.
Championship leader Thierry Neuville is holding onto third place. Having swept the roads on Friday, the Belgian is in line to receive good conditional points, as championship runner-up Elfyn Evans is currently only sixth in the standings.
Hyundai’s Dani Sordo was right behind his teammate Neuville before the Paredes special stage, but the Spaniard significantly reduced his speed on the last forest stage of the day. This was a strategic move by Hyundai to ensure that Sordo does not surpass Neuville, who is contending for the world championship.
One more short spectator special stage will be run on Saturday in the Rally de Portugal. The competition concludes on Sunday.
Rally de Portugal standings after SS17/22:
| POS | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | 2:59:23.1 |
| 2. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +13.5 |
| 3. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +1:12.7 |
| 4. | Dani Sordo | Hyundai | +1:25.8 |
| 5. | Adrien Fourmaux | Ford | +1:34.8 |
| 6. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +3:21.5 |
| 7. | Nikolay Gryazin | Citroen | +9:19.0 |
| 8. | Jan Solans | Toyota | +9:28.8 |
| 9. | Joshua McErlean | Skoda | +9:32.9 |
| 10. | Yohan Rossel | Citroen | +9:42.1 |
Rally de Portugal itinerary (CET):
Thursday, 9th May 09:01 Shakedown: Baltar (4.61 km) 20:05 SS1: Figueira da Foz (2.94 km) Friday, 10th May 09:05 SS2: Mortágua 1 (18.15 km) 10:35 SS3: Lousã 1 (12.28 km) 11:35 SS4: Góis 1 (14.30 km) 12:35 SS5: Arganil 1 (18.72 km) 15:05 SS6: Lousã 2 (12.28 km) 16:05 SS7: Góis 2 (14.30 km) 17:05 SS8: Arganil 2 (18.72 km) 18:35 SS9: Mortágua 2 (18.15 km) Saturday, 11th May 09:05 SS10: Felgueiras 1 (8.81 km) 10:05 SS11: Montim 1 (8.69 km) 11:10 SS12: Amarante 1 (37.24 km) 12:35 SS13: Paredes 1 (16.09 km) 15:35 SS14: Felgueiras 2 (8.81 km) 16:35 SS15: Montim 2 (8.69 km) 17:40 SS16: Amarante 2 (37.24 km) 19:05 SS17: Paredes 2 (16.09 km) 20:05 SS18: Lousada (3.36 km) Sunday, 12th May 08:05 SS19: Cabeceiras de Basto 1 (19.91 km) 09:35 SS20: Fafe 1 (11.18 km) 10:32 SS21: Cabeceiras de Basto 2 (19.91 km) 13:15 SS22: Fafe 2 (11.18 km)
