The 2025 edition of the Vodafone Rally de Portugal kicks off tomorrow with the start ceremony in Coimbra and a super-special in Figueira da Foz. It will be a festive start, bringing together the last four world champions.
The event organised by the Automóvel Club de Portugal (ACP) has the best entry list of the year in the World Rally Championship - 12 cars in the Rally1 category are taking part - and a relentless battle is expected on the most iconic WRC stages, which reinforces the idea of Ott Tänak, the 2019 world champion: ‘The Rally of Portugal is a great event in many ways. It has great roads, lots of history and the atmosphere is fantastic. It's everything you could ask for in a rally.’
The event is divided into three stages and has 24 special classification tests, totalling 344.5 timed kilometres, with speed and strategy being decisive for the drivers aiming for victory. Toyota has won all four races this year, with three different drivers, but Hyundai and M-Sport Ford want to end the Japanese brand's domination of the world rally championship.
World champion Toyota is fielding a luxury quartet, entering four GR Yaris Rally1s: Elfyn Evans, Sébastien Ogier, Kalle Rovanperä and Takamoto Katsuta, although only the top three will score points in the constructors' championship. Also noteworthy was the debut of Finland's Sami Pajari, the 2023 WRC2 champion, in a GR Yaris prepared by Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2.
Eight-time world champion Ogier remains motivated: ‘It's a rally with a unique atmosphere and lots of fans. Last year it was great to win a sixth time and it would be incredible to repeat that result in 2025.’ Evans, the world leader, emphasised: ‘Portugal has some excellent stages and we'll try to make the most of them. Being first on the road is penalising on the first day, but I hope to be competitive by Sunday.’ On the other hand, Kalle Rovanperä says: ‘I like the sections in Portugal and I hope to be fast. We're going back to the dirt tracks, where I'm still working on feeling as comfortable as I do on the tarmac.’
Hyundai responds with a strong trio. Thierry Neuville, the reigning world champion, Ott Tänak and Adrien Fourmaux line up in the official Hyundai i20 N Rally1 and set off with renewed ambitions to counter Toyota's dominance this season.
The Belgian Neuville is approaching the rally with some caution: ‘The very abrasive roads can cause more tyre wear if we are too demanding,’ says the i20 N Rally1 driver. At the Vodafone Rally de Portugal, the drivers face very technical and demanding sections, as Tänak recognises: ‘There's no doubt that the rally will be difficult. There are very long days and tough conditions on the second stage.’ A sentiment also shared by Adrien Fourmaux: ‘It's a big challenge. There's always heat and tyre management is a complicated task.’
M-Sport Ford is reinforcing its presence in this round of the world championship, with four Ford Puma Rally1s entered. The regulars Grégoire Munster and Josh McErlean are joined by the Latvian Martinš Sesks and the Portuguese Diogo Salvi, who makes his debut in the main category. ‘It's a gift I'm giving myself,’ confesses the 55-year-old Portuguese IT entrepreneur.
M-Sport Ford is also entering the fight for the top spots, with redoubled confidence after testing ahead of the race. ‘The team has already shown that the car can be competitive here, so we're going to fight for a good result,’ admits Grégoire Munster.
WRC2, meanwhile, is more competitive than ever. In Portugal, the entry list includes 55 drivers, promising an intense fight and an exciting spectacle throughout the stages. Names like Oliver Solberg (Toyota GR Yaris), Gus Greensmith (Skoda Fabia RS), Kajetan Kajetanowicz (Toyota GR Yaris), Nikolay Gryazin (Skoda Fabia RS), Jan Solans (Toyota GR Yaris) and the brothers Yohan and Léo Rossel (Citroën C3) are natural contenders for victory, but in such a balanced category, there's always room for surprises.
The highlight also goes to the presence of two well-known WRC figures: Kris Meeke (Toyota GR Yaris) and Dani Sordo (Hyundai i20 N), who are now competing with Rally2 cars in the Portuguese Rally Championship. It is precisely in this category that the main Portuguese drivers are concentrated, with Armindo Araújo, Ricardo Teodósio, José Pedro Fontes, Pedro Meireles, Pedro Almeida and Gonçalo Henriques leading the pack. As well as picking up crucial points for the CPR, they will have the opportunity to measure forces with the best drivers in the world.
The Vodafone Rally de Portugal is also part of the WRC3 and FIA Junior WRC championships.
The first stage also counts towards the Portuguese Rally Championship.
Programme Vodafone Rally de Portugal
Thursday 15th May
SS 1 Figueira da Foz (2,94 km) - 19h05
Friday 16th May
SS 2 Mortágua 1 (14,59 km) - 07h35
SS 3 Lousã 1 (12,28 km) - 09h05
SS 4 Góis 1 (14,30 km) - 09h53
SS 5 Arganil 1 (14,44 km) - 10h41
SS 6 Lousã 2 (12, 28 km) - 13h05
SS 7 Góis 2 (14,30 km) - 13h53
SS 8 Arganil 2 (14,44 km) - 14h41
SS 9 Mortágua 2 (14,59 km) - 17h05
SS 10 Águeda/Sever (15,08 km) - 18h35
SS 11 Sever/Albergaria (20,24 km) - 19h20
Saturday 17th May
SS 12 Vieira do Minho 1 (17,69 km) - 07h35
SS 13 Cabeceiras de Basto 1 (19,91 km) - 08h35
SS 14 Amarante 1 (22,10km) - 10h25
SS 15 Vieira do Minho 2 (17,69 km) - 15h05
SS 16 Cabeceiras de Basto 2 (19,91 km) - 16h05
SS 17 Amarante 2 (22,10 km) - 17h55
SS 18 Lousada (3,36 km) – 19h05
Sunday 18th May
SS 19 Paredes 1 (16,09 km) - 06h43
SS 20 Felgueiras 1 (8,81 km) - 07h48
SS 21 Fafe 1 (11,18 km) - 08h35
SS 22 Paredes 2 (16,09 km) - 09h58
SS 23 Felgueiras 2 (8,81 km) - 11h03
SS 24 Fafe 2 - Power Stage (11,18 km) - 13h15
Statements from the official drivers (Rally1):
Elfyn Evans (Toyota)
‘If the weather is dry it will be challenging to start first on Friday. The tests were in the wet, so the preparation wasn't ideal, but it felt good and I'm confident.’
Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota)
‘I like the tracks in Portugal and I hope to be fast. We're back on dirt, where I'm still working on feeling as comfortable as I do on tarmac. There's always less grip and, with the new tyres, I'm still looking for the ideal set-up. We've worked hard over the past week and I hope to find a good rhythm and be consistent in order to score points in this race.’
Sébastien Ogier (Toyota)
‘I haven't done a rally on dirt since Chile in October last year and the car and tyres have changed since then. I encountered challenging weather conditions in testing, but I'm fortunate to have a great team around me, and I hope we can build on the start to the season. I've always loved Portugal.’
Thierry Neuville (Hyundai)
‘In the Rally of Portugal, as in any other dirt rally, it's important to take advantage of the road position and manage the temperatures, especially in the Amarante area. Sunday's stages are softer and you can push the pace on the last day. The team needs a good result, but for that we have to be stronger than the Toyota and we need to overtake Elfyn, who has a big lead in the championship.’
Ott Tänak (Hyundai)
‘Whenever we go to a rally we aim to fight for the win, but we haven't been strong enough. We have to keep a cool head and work our way back to the top. This is the fifth rally where we have new tyres and we need to make the most of them.’
Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai)
‘The Rally of Portugal is a big challenge. It's always hot and managing the tyres is a complicated task. There are sections where the attack is total, but we have to be careful with the tyres, and other areas where we have to be cautious, but where it's possible to create big differences. We have to end Toyota's dominance and get a good result with all three cars. I want to get back on the podium.’
Grégoire Munster (Ford)
“Tive uma sensação muito boa durante os testes e a equipa está motivada para recuperar depois das Canarias. Portugal sempre dois tipos de classificativas: algumas com piso macio, como Fafe, e outras mais ásperas e com uma base dura.”
Josh McErlean (Ford)
“É ótimo estar de volta ao Rali de Portugal, guardo boas recordações da prova. Mal posso esperar para voltar a correr, desta vez num Rally1. É o início da época em terra e não há melhor sítio para começar. Fãs, ambiente e estradas - tudo é simplesmente fantástico em Portugal.”
Martins Sesks (Ford)
“Corri em Portugal no WRC Junior, em 2021, alguns dos troços são semelhantes e espero que isso ajude. Fiz dois ralis do campeonato português com a Past Racing o que também deve ser útil. Preparei bem a prova, mas sei que todos os pilotos estão empenhados em fazer um bom resultado aqui. O meu objetivo é continuar a evoluir e ser consistente. Estou ansioso para ver o que consigo fazer este ano em terra.”