Neuville Ends Hyundai Drought In Portugal Thriller

Belgium’s Thierry Neuville produced a sensational comeback victory at Rally de Portugal on Sunday, capitalising on late misfortune for Toyota to hand Hyundai its first victory of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship season.

The reigning world champion entered round six under immense pressure after a frustrating start to the year. A dramatic final-stage crash while leading Croatia Rally, combined with five rounds without a podium finish, had dropped Neuville to seventh in the championship standings.

Toyota looked set to continue its unbeaten run in 2026 after Sébastien Ogier controlled much of the rally and carried a commanding 21.9-second lead into Sunday. However, the rally took a dramatic turn on the penultimate Vieira do Minho 2 stage when Ogier suffered a right-rear puncture and was forced to stop for a wheel change in brutal gravel conditions.

Neuville, alongside co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe, had remained consistent throughout the demanding weekend of rain, mud and unpredictable grip levels. Their patience paid off as they inherited the lead heading into the iconic Fafe Wolf Power Stage.

The Belgian pair completed the final stage cleanly to secure victory by 16.3 seconds over Oliver Solberg. The triumph marked Neuville’s 23rd career WRC win and his second success in Portugal, eight years after his first triumph on the famous Matosinhos-based gravel event.

“It’s a very special one. After what happened in Croatia and the struggles we have had for a while, this one comes very well. Not only for me and Martijn, but for the whole team. We never give up, and that paid this weekend.”

said Neuville after the finish

Ogier, who dropped to sixth overall after the puncture drama, was understandably disappointed after dominating much of the event.

“There are things you can’t control,”.

Everything we could control this weekend, we did pretty well. It was hard luck today. Of course, we deserved a little bit better.”

said the French veteran

Toyota’s misery deepened when rising Finnish talent Sami Pajari also suffered wheel trouble on the same stage. Pajari had been on course for a fifth consecutive podium finish before dropping from third to seventh.

Solberg benefited most from the late chaos. The Swede endured a rollercoaster weekend that included briefly leading the rally, battling tyre issues and recovering from a spin. His second-place finish marked a welcome return to the podium after a difficult run on Tarmac rallies.

“It was a big ping-pong result all weekend.

After two tough Tarmac rallies, I’m just very happy to be back on the podium with some good points.”

Solberg admitted

Championship leader Elfyn Evans completed the podium in third place, 29.1 seconds behind Neuville. While Evans lacked his usual outright pace, the result helped him extend his championship lead to 12 points over teammate Takamoto Katsuta after six rounds.

Adrien Fourmaux finished fourth for Hyundai after recovering from earlier setbacks, including an off-road excursion and double puncture on Friday. Katsuta rounded out the top five ahead of Ogier and Pajari as Toyota’s dominant streak finally came to an end.

Veteran Spaniard Dani Sordo brought the third Hyundai home in eighth position, while Mārtiņš Sesks finished ninth for M-Sport Ford. Teemu Suninen completed the top 10 after claiming WRC2 honours.

The FIA World Rally Championship now shifts east for FORUM8 Rally Japan, scheduled for 28–31 May.

Rally Classification

1. Thierry Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe – Hyundai i20 N Rally1 – 3h 53m 01.7s
2. Oliver Solberg / Elliott Edmondson – Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +16.3s
3. Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin – Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +29.1s
4. Adrien Fourmaux / Alexandre Coria – Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +54.8s
5. Takamoto Katsuta / Aaron Johnston – Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +1m 12.6s
6. Sébastien Ogier / Vincent Landais – Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +1m 26.6s

WRC Standings After Round 6

1. Elfyn Evans – 123 points
2. Takamoto Katsuta – 111 points
3. Oliver Solberg – 92 points