It must be admitted tonight: the performance given by Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais this afternoon on the Rally Portugal's performance was exceptional. While Oliver Solberg had achieved the unthinkable at the end of the morning, namely going from 4th to 1st place in a single special stage once the rain arrived, the Gapençais driver recovered and reminded everyone why he was a nine-time World Rally Champion. "After the big blow this morning, we wanted to react. We left with more ambition and desire.", he admitted to us this evening upon arrival at the stage. "I didn't take all the risks in either the first or second special stage of the afternoon, but when I saw the downpour in Amarante, I immediately understood that it was going to be the decisive stage of this rally."It was precisely in this stage that Ogier made a strong impact, for example by gaining 12 seconds on Thierry Neuville.
The day was not a walk in the park, according to Sébastien Ogier.
One might think that Sébastien Ogier is fully satisfied with how his day went, but he wanted to qualify that statement. "The afternoon was so difficult, for everyone I think, that apart from the first part of the loop which was drier, we didn't really enjoy driving."he indicated. The rally is still far from over, but it is true that by holding a 21,9 second lead over his closest pursuer this evening, Sébastien Ogier has given himself a breath of fresh air. "Old people still have a say""That was fun," joked the person in question, commenting on the fact that he was in a fight this weekend with Thierry Neuville. "We'll need to keep this momentum going tomorrow. The conditions will be tricky, there will almost certainly be rain... It's far from over."he also mentioned.
ALSO READ > Rally Portugal: Solberg sets the fastest time in SS19, Ogier holds a commanding lead before Super Sunday

Alain Féguenne (🇱🇺 Luxembourg)
09/05/2026 at 10:09 a.m.
S. Ogier… An exceptional champion… what more can be said, we've already said it all! ‼️👀🍾. 😎👍 alainkf1@pt.lu