Evans held a comfortable 43-point advantage over Kalle Rovanperä heading into the Portuguese gravel round. Acting as road-sweeper on Friday, the Welshman dropped out of the fight for the top positions early. He was unable to recover pace over the weekend and finished the rally in sixth place.
Evans salvaged just nine points from Portugal – his lowest score of the season so far. Rovanperä, meanwhile, finished third overall and collected a total of 22 points. As a result, the gap between the teammates has now shrunk to 30 points.
Right behind Rovanperä, the standings are extremely tight. Sébastien Ogier, who claimed his seventh Rally Portugal win, climbed to third in the championship – just two points behind Rovanperä. Despite competing part-time for Toyota, Ogier has driven only three rallies this season and delivered two wins and one second-place finish.
Hyundai’s Ott Tänak is two points behind Ogier. Tänak finished second in Portugal and took the maximum points from Super Sunday. Right behind him is teammate Thierry Neuville, who trails Tänak by six points.
All of Evans’ closest challengers – Rovanperä, Tänak, and Neuville – outscored the championship leader in Portugal. The top five drivers are now separated by just 40 points.
Check the full WRC standings here!
Toyota has won all five WRC rounds so far this season. In Portugal, the team extended its lead over Hyundai by another four points – the gap between the manufacturers is now 55 points.
