Sébastien Loeb consolidates his leading position in Portugal: "I'm well placed at the moment"

Sébastien, the leader at the start of this fourth stage, Loeb perfectly managed a day that was predicted to be decisive in this Rally-Raid of Portugal. On terrain made extremely challenging by rain, mud, and water crossings, the Dacia driver managed to maintain a high pace while avoiding mistakes. The result: second place on the special stage and, more importantly, an increased lead from 1 minute 27 seconds to 2 minutes 30 seconds in the overall standings. Toyota by Seth Quintero.

This controlled strategy also allows him to avoid opening the road on the final stage, a significant strategic advantage as the gaps begin to widen. On the eve of the finish, the nine-time World Rally Champion finds himself in an ideal position to secure a third World Rally-Raid Championship victory, following his wins at the 2022 Andalusia Rally and the final event of 2025, the Rally of Morocco.

“It was a long and difficult day. The stage was really complicated. There were a lot of changes in grip and pace. In some places, there was a lot of water, big rivers, and also a lot of mud. So it was really tricky, but I had a good pace, I felt good in the car, which allowed me to attack throughout the stage. I tried to push hard because I didn't know the times of the other drivers, like [Seth] Quintero [second in the overall standings], so I had to be fast so as not to give him too much of a lead. In the end, it was a good stage: I set the second fastest time, I kept the lead, and I increased my advantage a little, so I'm well placed at the moment.”

Just one more step to confirm

Alongside him, his co-driver Édouard Boulanger emphasized the crew's strength on a special stage where the slightest mistake could have been costly. Precise navigation, risk management, and consistency allowed them to get through this stage without major incident, despite particularly treacherous conditions. “It went really well for us. We had a great day today, with good navigation, no mistakes. Seb dominated the stage as he usually does in Portugal. So, no, for us, it was a very good day. Of course, we can't know the exact gaps between the different cars. So we're just doing our best.”

"We were a bit cautious because it was still very slippery, with a lot of mud. It was very tricky and we could easily have made mistakes, gotten a puncture, etc. So we attacked, but keeping a small margin to avoid making big mistakes, and it worked." Meanwhile, João Ferreira secured a stage victory on home soil, capitalizing on the final kilometers to turn the tables. But in the overall standings, the main focus is elsewhere: Sébastien Loeb is in complete control and enters the final special stage with a comfortable lead of over two minutes on Seth Quintero. At this point, only a major mistake could cost him a victory that now seems within his grasp.

ALSO READ > Rally-Raid Portugal – Stage 4: Ferreira wins on home soil ahead of Loeb, who remains the overall leader