Rally Portugal – SS3: Ogier sets the fastest time, Solberg still leads overall

By setting the exact same time as Elfyn Evans, Sébastien Ogier still managed to secure the fastest time in Thursday evening's Super Special Stage. Far from the lead in the Rally of Portugal, the Frenchman will need to address his setup issues on Friday.

We had to wait until SS3, the shortest stage of this first day of the Rally from Portugal WRC, to see Sébastien Ogier To achieve the fastest time on a special stage. Struggling in SS1 and SS2, the driver from Gap ultimately set the fastest time on the Super Special Stage, a mere 1,93 km long, located in town. Tied with Elfyn Evans, the Frenchman salvaged some pride, but remains 7,2 seconds behind his Swedish teammate, who found the key in SS2.

Impressive in surpassing Sami Pajari by more than eight seconds, Oliver Solberg indeed made a big statement on this famous special stage. He also leads a provisional podium on which the French flag is flying, sinceAdrien fourmaux and Sébastien Ogier, in fact, remain in 2nd and 3rd positions. Winner of SS1, Adrien Fourmaux managed to hold his own ahead of Elfyn Evans, while the Hyundai seem to show more potential than in recent rallies.

Neuville in trouble, Evans trapped

Indeed, the image speaks for itself at the end of Thursday in Portugal. Fourth overall, Thierry Neuville Ogier has consistently struggled. After a disappointing SS1 and a lack of pace, the Belgian driver regained some momentum in SS2, but was still far from challenging Oliver Solberg. Nevertheless, the WRC world champion finished just off the podium, unlike a deserving Elfyn Evans. Second in SS1, having started as the road opener, the Welshman missed the stage win by only a tenth of a second behind his French counterpart, Adrien Fourmaux. However, things became more complicated in SS2 over the 21km stage. In SS3, the best time shared with Ogier changed nothing; the work will have to be done later in the weekend. Especially since the difficulties don't end there for Evans. The reigning runner-up will have to start again on Friday, as the day is also considered part of the first leg of the Rally of Portugal.

Finally, it's worth noting that in WRC2, Jan Solans finished the day leading the overall standings, while Nikolay Gryazin also made a strong impression on the first three stages. Frenchman Yohan Rossel is fourth in his category and promises an interesting duel, particularly with Alejandro Cachon. Join us tomorrow at 8:30 AM for our live commentary starting with SS4.

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WRC – Rally Portugal
Rankings after SS3