Sébastien Ogier’s victory at the 2025 Vodafone Rally de Portugal – the French driver’s seventh in the event and the 63rd of his career in the World Rally Championship (WRC).
A success that allowed Toyota to maintain its unbeaten record in the current season. After leading for about two-thirds of the event, the unlucky Ott Tänak (Hyundai) finished in second place, still having the merit of being the driver with the most stage wins. The podium was completed by Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota) in third. Armindo Araújo (Škoda) was, for the 14th time, the best Portuguese driver. Organised by the Automóvel Club de Portugal (ACP), another edition marked by competitiveness and public support: more than one million spectators spread across the central and northern regions of the country.
His eight titles and 63 victories in the WRC have given him the status of a legend in world sport, but neither his successes nor his age has affected Sébastien Ogier’s motivation or even his speed. Fifteen years after taking his first WRC victory in Portugal, the 41-year-old Frenchman (born on December 17, 1983) has now won his 63rd career victory and his seventh in the race organised by the ACP. In other words, in a decade and a half, he has won almost half of the events he has taken part in, and this year, once again by one of the smallest margins in history: 8.7 seconds. “I think it’s something I can be proud of: to continue to be competitive after all these years. The car was great all weekend. We showed once again that race management is an art that we have mastered. I’m happy… winning seven times in Portugal is not bad at all. The crowd pushed me on from the recce. It was a tough fight with Ott, and it wasn’t fair given the problem he had,” admitted Ogier.
In second place, just 8.7 seconds behind, was the driver who won the most stages – 12 – but who was also the unlucky one in this year’s Vodafone Rally de Portugal: Ott Tänak. The Estonian led the race from the second to the 16th stage, until the Hyundai’s power steering failed him and forced him to lose a good few seconds. An unfortunate event that prevented him from fighting for a victory in the WRC, which has eluded him since 2022, but also prevented Hyundai from breaking Toyota’s unbeaten streak. “Today (Saturday), it was always on the limit. After yesterday’s disappointment, I was either going home with second place or with the steering wheel in my hand! At least the performance leaves good prospects for the future”, he said.
With only two fastest times on stage, reigning world champion youngster Kalle Rovanperä was third, with the Toyota Gazoo Racing driver admitting that the result “is not a surprise. It was a long and difficult weekend for us. We couldn’t find the rhythm. We lacked a lot of speed. We just didn’t have the grip, the pace. We have to work on that.”
Reigning world champion Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) was fourth, never having been in a position to fight for the win: “It wasn’t fun, as I was always struggling with the car. I’m happy to finish, but disappointed for the team. We deserved more. We’ll keep fighting.”
Japanese driver Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota) rounded out the top five, followed by team-mate and current WRC leader Elfyn Evans. “It wasn’t an easy weekend. Friday was tough, and we made things even harder for ourselves after that. We’re disappointed with the result, and we have to improve in Sardinia,” said the Welshman.
Youngster Sami Pajari (Toyota) finished seventh, ahead of M-Sport Ford duo Josh McErlean and Grégoire Munster.
Seventh WRC2 win for Oliver Solberg
Swede Oliver Solberg made his debut with a win in the WRC2 category at the Vodafone Rally de Portugal. The Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 driver dominated the race from the start and finished 51.8 seconds ahead of Yohan Rossel. The Swede set a very strong pace in the first stage and gained an advantage that allowed him to control the pace until the end and win the category for the second time this year, repeating his triumph in Sweden. “On Friday, I gave it my all. It was a long weekend, the feeling was good, and the team gave me a flawless car. The fans here are incredible, I’ve never seen so many people on the stages in my life,” said Solberg.
The third stage was a battle for second place between Gus Greensmith (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) and Yohan Rossel (Citroën C3 Rally2). The Frenchman moved up to second place in the Felgueiras section, won the next two stages and secured the position with a 16.4-second advantage over Gus. “It was impossible to beat Solberg. We took the opportunity to understand how the Hankook tires behaved on the Citroën C3, and it was important to prepare for the Rally of Sardinia”, said Rossel, who maintains first place in the championship.
An Australian wins in the FIA Junior WRC
Australian Taylor Gill felt pressure from Swede Mille Johansson in the final stage, but managed to hold on to the lead and claim his second victory in the FIA Junior WRC category. Turkish driver Kerem Kazaz finished third. Gill also won in the WRC3 category.
Armindo Araújo is the best Portuguese for the 14th time
Only four national drivers completed the Rally of Portugal. Armindo Araújo (Skoda) was the best Portuguese, finishing in 26th place. “It is a great source of pride to have managed to finish the Rally of Portugal as the best national driver for the fourteenth time and to once again stand on the podium of what I consider to be the best rally in the world. It was a very demanding four days, but we always managed to set a safe pace that allowed us to manage the race without any mechanical problems. Only a puncture on Friday prevented us from adding victory in the CPR to this excellent result, but we are very pleased with the outcome of this rally”, stressed the driver from Santo Tirso.
Pedro Meireles finished the race in 28th place and won the Masters Cup, a competition for drivers over 50, while Diogo Salvi (Ford) was 29th and the third-best Portuguese driver. “What a party – I loved it! I was very slow, but it was fantastic. Thanks to Axel (navigator), who not only did a magnificent job, but also had incredible patience to put up with me. Also, thanks to the entire M-Sport team, who did a tremendous job! Last but not least, my family: always complaining about waiting for me and, most importantly, for the love of my life, for looking after the children. She hates rallies, but tonight she will have a one-on-one dinner with champagne,” said this IT entrepreneur, who decided to fulfil his dream of driving a Rally1 car in the Vodafone Rally de Portugal.
Diogo Marújo (Skoda) was the fourth-best Portuguese, finishing the rally in 33rd place.
Final classification
1st Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1), with 3h:48.35.9
2nd Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (Hyundai I20N Rally1), 8.7s
3rd Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1), 12.2s behind
4th Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai I20N Rally1), 38.5s behind
5th Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1), 1m.41.9.8
6th Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1), 2m.31.0
7th Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1), 2m.38.3
8th Joshua McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1), 5m.12.3
9th Grégoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1), 5m.57.5
10th Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2), 9m.15.1 (1st Rally2)
26th Armindo Araújo/Luís Ramalho (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2), 22m42.2s (1st Portuguese)
Drivers’ Championship
Elfyn Evans – 118 points
Kalle Rovanperä – 88
Sébastien Ogier – 86
Ott Tänak – 84
Thierry Neuville – 78
Takamoto Katsuta – 51
Adrien Fourmaux – 44
Sami Pajari – 25
Grégoire Munster – 18
Joshua McErlean – 12
Constructors’ Championship
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT – 258
Hyundai World Rally Team – 203
M-Sport Ford World Rally Team – 72
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 – 36
WRC2 Standings
1st Yohan Rossel – 67 points
2nd Oliver Solberg – 60
3rd Gus Greensmith – 40
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