Toyota’s winning streak continued as the team’s part-time driver Sébastien Ogier clinched victory on the gravel event. Ogier has now taken two wins and one second place from his three rallies this season.
Hyundai’s Ott Tänak showed strong pace in Portugal, and for a long time, it looked like the Estonian could deliver Hyundai its first win of the season. However, a power steering failure on Saturday’s final forest stage forced him to settle for second place.
Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä finished third, reducing the gap to his teammate Elfyn Evans in the championship standings. Evans, who delivered his weakest performance of the season, came in sixth.
RallyJournal.com’s journalists Toni Heinonen, Aki Hietavala, and Ville Hirvonen evaluated each top-class driver with school grades, where 10 is the highest and 4 the lowest.
Toni Heinonen
Sebastien Ogier 9+ (Position: 1st)
Another convincing performance from the Frenchman. Could Toyota possibly ask for a better part-time driver? Ogier has entered three rallies this season and collected two wins and one second place. It was a steady weekend — not dazzling, but once again enough to beat his rivals in Portugal. You really can’t ask more from him.
Ott Tänak 9½ (Position: 2nd)
I don’t think I’ve ever rated a rally runner-up higher than the winner — until now. Tänak was the strongest driver of the weekend and deserved the win. The power steering issue on Saturday dropped him to third, but he fought back on Sunday, overtook Rovanperä, and secured a big points haul on Super Sunday. One could speculate if the failure was caused by his aggressive attack. Regardless, this was Tänak at his best this season.
Kalle Rovanperä 9- (Position: 3rd)
Rovanperä predicted a tough rally beforehand, and he was right. His performance wasn’t at the same level as in the Canary Islands, but he still scored solid points for the title fight. He hasn’t yet found the right feeling with the car and the Hankook tyres on gravel. With six gravel rallies still ahead, he needs to find solutions.
Thierry Neuville 8 (Position: 4th)
The reigning champion couldn’t match the top pace in Portugal. The Belgian kept searching for the ideal car setup all weekend, but it never clicked. Clearly lost out to teammate Tänak — something Neuville will need to reflect on.
Takamoto Katsuta 7½ (Position: 5th)
A promising start from Katsuta who was fighting for a podium early on. However, he dropped behind Rovanperä and Neuville on Saturday. The Japanese driver has potential in certain events, but this time he couldn’t keep up until the end. Still, he showed great team spirit by helping teammate Evans with points on Sunday.
Elfyn Evans 6½ (Position: 6th)
Evans started the season strongly, but in Portugal he was a shadow of his usual self. At times you almost forgot he was even in the rally. He did suffer from running first on the road Friday, but his pace never really picked up after that. Eventually had to rely on teammates to climb up the standings and earn better results on Super Sunday.
Sami Pajari 7+ (Position: 7th)
A consistent and error-free performance earns a satisfactory grade. Pajari keeps stressing he’s still learning to drive the Rally1 car in WRC events. Credit to him for building a gap over Evans on Saturday. On Sunday, he had to yield his position to his teammate.
Josh McErlean 6 (Position: 8th.)
Winner among the Ford drivers, but still far off the top pace. He finished over five minutes behind the rally winner — there’s still work to do.
Gregoire Munster 5½ (Position: 9th)
Losing out to his inexperienced teammate is a bitter pill to swallow. He should at least be the number one driver in his team. Complained all weekend about the setup, tyres, and various other issues. But maybe the main problem lies between the seat and the steering wheel.
Martins Sesks 6- (Position: 15tth)
Dropped back right at the start due to a puncture. After that, it was a flat performance well behind the leaders. The Latvian is still gaining experience, and more is expected from him in high-speed summer rallies in Estonia and Finland. Still, he needs to show glimpses of pace in other events too.
Adrien Fourmaux 5 (Retired)
Honestly, I had to think hard about Fourmaux’s grade. He started strong and was in the fight at the front. But then he broke the suspension after hitting “something”, as he put it. Fourmaux showed his speed, but with a retirement, you can’t give a higher grade — even if you’d like to.
Aki Hietavala
Sebastien Ogier 10-
Once again the winner. His seventh win in Portugal and 63rd career victory. Ogier’s first WRC win also came in Portugal 15 years ago. He may not have matched Tänak’s pace, but Ogier and Toyota delivered a result. A minus for not trying harder on the Power Stage.
Ott Tänak 9½
The Estonian was in his element. Fierce battles, beautiful slides, and stage wins. The power steering issue cost him victory, but he still scored 27 points — just one less than Ogier.
Kalle Rovanperä 9
A commendable result, though Kalle himself might have rated it a six. He still hasn’t found harmony with the car and tyres on gravel. Still, he was third in the rally, third on the Power Stage, and second on Super Sunday. A solid points haul and he narrowed the gap to Evans.
Thierry Neuville 8-
A basic grade-eight performance — or was it? Neuville fought hard and earned good Sunday points. Not a disaster weekend.
Takamoto Katsuta 7+
Never quite convincing. Posted some good stage times but ended up too far from the front (+1:41.9). Still, a solid result.
Elfyn Evans 6-
Struggled badly as the road sweeper. Got a mercy position from teammate Sami Pajari. A poor weekend overall, though opening the road is tough. Gets a six for reaching the finish.
Sami Pajari 7
A steady weekend. Gave up sixth place to his teammate, but that doesn’t take away from his performance. A respectable grade. Perhaps we’ll see fireworks later this summer?
Josh McErlean 6
Made it to the finish — hey! The Irishman isn’t yet a Rally1-level driver, but he gave it everything. A clean run and some points. But a five-minute gap is quite massive.
Gregoire Munster 5
Gets just enough credit for finishing to avoid a failing grade. A very underwhelming weekend.
Martins Sesks 6-
Expectations were higher. A puncture ruined his rally on the first real stage and there may have been other issues. Overall a very underwhelming rally.
Adrien Fourmaux 5
Great start but then broke the suspension. Had a beer with fans afterwards. Didn’t restart on Sunday and scored no points. Technically should be a fail, but he showed speed, so he passes — barely.
Ville Hirvonen
Sebastien Ogier 9
A very strong weekend from the Frenchman. Barely any mistakes and stayed in the lead battle. Took victory partially thanks to Tänak’s mechanical woes, but Ogier’s drive still deserves praise. Best Toyota driver of the event.
Ott Tänak 9+
The best Tänak we’ve seen in a while. He was arguably the moral winner. Likely would’ve won without the technical failure. A brilliant drive, though it lacked the ultimate prize. Extra credit for the Super Sunday win.
Kalle Rovanperä 8
Also a good performance. Struggled with the car all weekend but stayed in contention. Not peak Kalle, but not the worst we’ve seen from him either.
Thierry Neuville 7
Clearly slower than Tänak all weekend and couldn’t keep up with the leaders. Had a spin on Friday but was lucky to continue. Didn’t shine at any point.
Takamoto Katsuta 7
The Japanese driver was nearly flawless and was in the fight until Saturday afternoon. Then he started to fade. Sympathy points — and reportedly some beers — for slowing down on Sunday to let Evans get ahead and earn extra points.
Elfyn Evans 6
A weak weekend for the championship leader. Suffered from being first on the road and steadily dropped back. Evans was clearly disappointed, and understandably so.
Sami Pajari 6
Another weekend of gaining experience. Drove without mistakes and gathered valuable learning, but didn’t leave a strong impression. At some point, Pajari will need to start delivering results — you can’t be learning forever.
Josh McErlean 6
Beat teammate Munster — big plus. Otherwise, not much to write home about. Drove steadily, no major drop-offs or gains.
Gregoire Munster 5
Just scraped through with a passing grade. Losing to his teammate was rather embarrassing.
Martins Sesks 5
A poor weekend from the Latvian. Struggled to find pace and made errors on top. Finished 15th. Gained experience, but that’s about it.
Adrien Fourmaux 7
Started well but broke his suspension on stage 8. Claimed he drove the same line as everyone else, so maybe it was unavoidable. Hard to judge. Retired on Sunday and didn’t start the Power Stage. The Frenchman seems to have frequent bad luck, but he has shown pace. Was fighting for top spots before his problems.
