Top 15 ꦬclassification after SS9 at WRC Rally de Portugal

Thierry Neuville has stormed into a commanding position at Rally de Portugal af🥀ter seeing his main World Rally Championship title rivals fall out of contention.

After Ott Tanak was forced out on SS2 with a mechanical issue with his Toyota, WRC points leader Se�💫�bastien Ogier crashed out on SS5 in a heavy day of attrition which saw a total of five premier class challengers all forced out.

With Neuville taking four consecutive s𓆉tage wins the Hyundai driver has moved into a 17.7 second lead over Elfyn Evans for M-Sport Ford with Dani Sordo fading to third place after suffering with his soft Michelin tyres.

Teemu Suninen ended the day fourth overall for M-Sport Ford after losing third place to Sordo after SS9 but has a he🌜althy 15-second advantage over lead Citroen driver Mads Ostberg in fifth place.

Sole Toyota challenger Esapekka Lappi is sixth, with Tanak and teammate Jari-Matti Latvala both out as the Finn suffer suspension failure on SS3 to mark a nightmare start to the Portugal event for𒅌 Toyota, with Krღis Meeke provisionally in eighth place despite finishing the final three stages on three wheels.

The Citroen driver suffered a punc💯ture of SS6 only to be hit with double frustration when his spare tyre delam💙inated meaning he took on the Porto city street stages on three wheels.

Citroen’s Craig Breen rounded out the premier level contenders in eighth place with Hayden Paddon suffering a heavy cras🌳h on SS7 while leading and has been taken to hospital as a precaution, whiౠle Hyundai teammate Andreas Mikkelsen suffered a mechanical failure and stopped on the same stage.