Rally de Portugal – Day Two
The fight for the podium is heating up at the fifth round of the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), with all three Hyundai Motorsport crews firmly in contention for a top-three finish at Rally de Portugal.
Only 13.4 seconds split the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team crews, who have run in second, third and fourth place since the opening stage of a trouble-free Saturday.
Dani Sordo and Cándido Carrera continued their solid performance from Friday and remain in second with just four stages left to contest. Despite their efforts, which included two stage wins on the rally’s longest stage and in the evening’s super special, they were unable to keep leader Kalle Rovanperä within reach. The Spanish crew is now focused on securing their first podium finish of the season.
Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe and Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm were locked in a battle for third during Saturday’s unrelenting itinerary. Lappi gained two places on the first stage of the day with the second fastest time to move ahead of Neuville. The Finn went on to claim three more top-three stage times on SS10, SS12 and SS14, but his Belgian team-mate reclaimed third after his run through SS13.
After falling to fourth at the start of the day, Neuville and Wydaeghe found their groove in the afternoon, finishing third in the final three stages to end the day on the provisional podium. With 55.42km left to contest, the Belgians have the opportunity to close the gap to second and take their fourth podium of 2023.
While the profile of Saturday’s stages were smoother than those of the first day, tyre management remained a key element for crews to contend with during the longest day of the rally. It started early with Vieira do Minho (SS9/12, 26.61km), followed by Amarante (SS10/13, 37.24km) and Felgueiras (SS11/14). Crews then returned to Matosinhos for midday service, before heading out to tackle the same three stages. The day culminated over 12 hours after it began with a solitary run of Lousada (SS15, 3.36km), which saw crews go head-to-head around the super special stage.
Crew Notes: Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera (#6 Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid)
- Spaniards secured two stage wins and five top-three stage times on Saturday
- Crew’s target for Sunday is to confirm first podium finish of the season
Sordo said: “I was really pushing to remain in the fight. I was concerned at times of wearing-out the tyres, but I tried to keep a good rhythm in the stages. I’m really enjoying being back in the car; today there was much more grip, so it felt more natural than yesterday. I was taking some risks, but I didn’t have any big moments. We have two new stages, which will be really demanding – it will be a long day, but hopefully a good one.”
Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid)
- Belgians lost ground to team-mates before fighting back to third in afternoon loop
- Crew aiming to score maximum points possible for both drivers’ and manufacturers’ fight
Neuville said: “The battle today was fun, even if I was struggling a bit out there! It was a bit better than yesterday but things were not quite working as I would like them to. We are all very close, and tomorrow it is important for me to take maximum points for the drivers’ championship, as well as for the manufacturers’ standings. It will be crucial to have a strong Power Stage; I think if we are clever, we won’t push too hard in the first stages so we have good tyres for Fafe and we can end the weekend in a solid position.”
Crew Notes: Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (#4 Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid)
- Finns involved in close fight for third with team-mates Neuville and Wydaeghe
- Finished second fastest on SS9 and SS14 and claimed two further top-three stage times
Lappi said: “It was really warm out there today, I could really feel the heat on my face. We stayed out of trouble and had no punctures or drama, and the speed has been ok. It’s been a consistent day. There are four stages tomorrow so I think we are going to do take the same approach as today. The first person you compare yourself to is your team-mate, so it is good that we were able to match Thierry and Dani here, but it is frustrating that Kalle is pulling ahead.”
Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said: “Firstly, it is good to have our three cars back at the end of day two, where we have seen a number of issues and retirements. Hats off to our crews and mechanics for making that possible. However, we can’t ignore the gap to the leading car, which is something we need to address. As for tomorrow, it is another long day with the opportunity of interesting points for the manufacturers’ championship and an opportunity for Thierry to climb up in the drivers’ standings, which the entire team will be supporting him to do.”
Sunday at a glance
- Four stages remain on the Rally de Portugal itinerary: Paredes (SS16, 11.05km), Fafe (SS17/19, 11.18km) and Cabeceiras de Basto (22.01km)
- No service or tyre fitting zone means crews will have to be canny with their tyre strategies in what is set to be a decisive final day.
Classification after Day Three
| 1 | K. Rovanperä | J. Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | 2:59:48.6 |
| 2 | D. Sordo | C. Carrera | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid | +57.5 |
| 3 | T. Neuville | M. Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid | +1:08.6 |
| 4 | E. Lappi | J. Ferm | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid | +1:10.9 |
| 5 | O. Tänak | M. Järveoja | Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid | +2:21.8 |
