Ogier takes control of Rally Portugal

The Estonian pilot from the Hyundai team saw his advantage vanish halfway through the Amarante 2 section, the most extensive segment of the event at 22.10 kilometers, when a problem with the steering system forced him to maneuver with difficulty until completing the route. This situation cost him more than 45 seconds and relegated him to third place.

"It's part of racing. Unfortunate, but we gave everything we had," expressed Tänak after losing the opportunity to get his first victory in almost seven months.

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Meanwhile, Ogier, who had been closing the gap throughout the day, suddenly found himself in first position. "This is not how one would like to win. We were both pushing to the limit in every section. We tried to maintain the pressure even though he was somewhat faster," mentioned the Frenchman, who is now looking for his seventh victory in Portugal.

Toyota positions three cars among the top five

Kalle Rovanperä climbed to second place in the overall standings after overtaking his teammate Takamoto Katsuta in the morning session. The Finn continued improving his times as the day progressed, establishing himself 8.5 seconds ahead of Tänak.

Katsuta's performance decreased during the evening stages, allowing Thierry Neuville from the Hyundai team to advance to the fourth position in the penultimate segment. The Belgian driver is now 17.0 seconds behind Rovanperä, while Katsuta follows him by another 2.2 seconds in fifth place.

Elfyn Evans, current leader of the world championship, had another complex day and remains in seventh position behind Sami Pajari. Despite having a better starting position compared to Friday, Evans still struggles to find fluidity in his driving.

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WRC2 Category maintains intense battles for positions

In WRC2, Oliver Solberg started the second day with a substantial 53.5-second lead at the wheel of his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 over Gus Greensmith. With no need to take risks, the Swede managed his advantage on the dirt stages to finish the day with a margin of 50.1 seconds.

While Solberg controlled the situation, attention focused on the battle for second place. Just 2.2 seconds separated Greensmith's Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 from Yohan Rossel's Citroën C3 Rally2 at the beginning of Saturday, a difference that evaporated when Rossel overtook Greensmith by exactly 2.2 seconds in SS10, equalizing positions.

The tie motivated Greensmith, who reacted with authority to win the next stage and create a separation of 7.5 seconds. The Brit finished the day with a 5.5-second advantage over Rossel.

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Roope Korhonen maintained his good level just days after achieving a historic win in the European Rally Championship in Gran Canaria. At the wheel of the same Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 that Solberg uses, the Finn secured two partial victories to secure fourth place, more than a minute ahead of Jans Solans.

In the WRC Masters Cup, Portuguese driver Pedro Meireles advances firmly towards victory in front of his home crowd, building an advantage of almost six minutes over Turkish driver Ugur Soylu.

Standings after Saturday