Fourmaux clocked the fastest time for the second stage in a row, closing right up on rally leader Ott Tänak. The gap between the two Hyundai drivers now stands at just 0.2 seconds.
“I have a good feeling with the car. I pushed hard on this stage. But there’s still a long way to go,” Fourmaux emphasised.
Tänak lost 1.9 seconds to his French team-mate on the Arganil stage, but the Estonian managed to retain the overall lead in the gravel rally.
“We went with hard tyres for this stage, and clearly it wasn’t a good choice. We had to fight quite a bit with the car,” Tänak admitted.
Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier and Takamoto Katsuta both improved their positions on the final stage of the loop, finishing close to Fourmaux’s benchmark. Ogier climbed to third overall (+7.4s), with Katsuta in fourth (+8.1s).
Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä, meanwhile, dropped behind his team-mates into fifth. Rovanperä and his team-mate Elfyn Evans both struggled on the Arganil stage due to their early starting positions. Rovanperä lost 9.2 seconds to Fourmaux’s stage-winning time, while championship leader Evans dropped 12.3 seconds.
In the overall standings, Rovanperä now trails the leader by 13.1 seconds.
“The tyre choice could have been better. Maybe we could have carried one less spare. The conditions are difficult,” Rovanperä said.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville remains seventh, just ahead of Toyota’s Sami Pajari.
Rally Portugal continues on Friday with six more special stages. The event concludes on Sunday.
Rally Portugal standings after SS5/24:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
| 1. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | 38:45.1 |
| 2. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +0.2 |
| 3. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +7.4 |
| 4. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +8.1 |
| 5. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +13.1 |
| 6. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +21.7 |
| 7. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +25.8 |
| 8. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +30.9 |
| 9. | Josh McErlean | Ford | +47.7 |
| 10. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +50.2 |
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
