Evans struggled on Friday’s gravel stages, acting as road-sweeper in his role as the first car on the road. The Welshman also lacked pace on Saturday, starting Sunday’s stages in seventh place.
Sami Pajari, who began the final day just ahead of Evans in sixth, has consistently lost time to his teammate throughout Sunday morning. On the second run through the Paredes stage, Evans finally overtook Pajari and moved up to sixth.
It strongly suggests that Toyota has made a strategic call in Evans’ favour, seeking to help him score as many points as possible from Portugal. Pajari’s post-stage comment hinted at the team plan.
“We have our own strategy, and we’re just trying to stick to it,” Pajari said.
Toyota driver Takamoto Katsuta also appeared to ease off significantly on the Paredes stage, allowing Evans to climb into fifth place in the Super Sunday classification and secure a potential bonus point. Katsuta acknowledged lifting off intentionally:
“I decided I don’t want Sunday points,” Katsuta stated.
Toyota may yet elevate Evans further in the overall standings. The Welshman currently trails Katsuta by just over a minute – a gap that could be closed with a deliberate time penalty, for instance.
At the front of the rally, Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier leads by 16.5 seconds over teammate Kalle Rovanperä, with only two stages remaining. But Rovanperä is under pressure, with Hyundai’s Ott Tänak right on his heels.
Tänak went fastest on the Paredes stage, beating Rovanperä by 3.7 seconds and cutting the gap in the overall standings to just 3.7 seconds.
“This one is quite a lottery at the moment, so many rocks. Difficult to balance between pushing and keeping the tyres alive,” Tänak explained.
“It’s a bit tough because there’s not enough grip. There’s too much sliding, and this is the best we can manage right now,” Rovanperä commented.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville remains fourth, though he has now dropped nearly 20 seconds behind teammate Tänak.
Only two more special stages remain in Rally Portugal.
Rally Portugal standings after SS22/24:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
| 1. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | 3:36:19.6 |
| 2. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +16.5 |
| 3. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +20.2 |
| 4. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +38.8 |
| 5. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +1:15.5 |
| 6. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +2:30.1 |
| 7. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +2:34.7 |
| 8. | Josh McErlean | Ford | +5:02.2 |
| 9. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +5:42.4 |
| 10. | Oliver Solberg | Toyota | +8:37.1 |
Super Sunday standings:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
| 1. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | 34:59.0 |
| 2. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +4.8 |
| 3. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +10.1 |
| 4. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +15.9 |
| 5. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +30.1 |
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
