Setting the pace was Hyundai’s Ott Tänak, who edged Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä by just 0.2 seconds.
Rovanperä completed the stage cleanly, though the Finn didn’t feel at his best.
“It was okay. Didn’t feel so good. It was an okay stage. A bit too careful,” Rovanperä summed up at the stage end.
“The beginning of the stage was damp and grippy. In the end, it was loose and the rear wasn’t working. But it was just the first stage,” Tänak commented.
Toyota’s Elfyn Evans was third fastest, 2.8 seconds off Tänak’s benchmark. Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux was fourth quickest, while Sami Pajari also had a solid start. Pajari posted the fifth-best time, trailing the leader by 4.3 seconds.
“Really tricky. I was expecting more grip, but it was changing a lot. Not too bad, but not exactly how I wanted,” said Pajari.
The morning’s opening stage also delivered plenty of early drama. Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville had a half-spin. Fortunately for the Belgian, he avoided hitting any trees and his car remained intact. However, the incident cost him over 12 seconds.
“I lost the rear of the car. Maybe I could’ve done something, but there were trees, so I stopped, reversed, and went again,” Neuville explained.
Martins Sesks, contesting his second WRC event of the season in an M-Sport Ford, also ran into trouble. He suffered a puncture and lost minutes.
In the overall classification, Tänak now leads the rally by 1.3 seconds over Kalle Rovanperä. Evans is third, followed by Adrien Fourmaux. Toyota drivers Sébastien Ogier and Takamoto Katsuta are next in line. Pajari holds seventh place overall, with the top seven drivers separated by just over eight seconds.
Rally Portugal continues with nine more stages on Friday. The rally concludes on Sunday.
Rally Portugal standings after SS2/24:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
| 1. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | 11:33.2 |
| 2. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +1.3 |
| 2. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +2.6 |
| 4. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +3.5 |
| 5. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +6.1 |
| 6. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +7.1 |
| 7. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +8.2 |
| 8. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +12.7 |
| 9. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +22.8 |
| 10. | Josh McErlean | Ford | +23.7 |
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
