Still, the team’s perseverance paid off, as each crew showed strong pace across the weekend, providing plenty of encouragement heading into the summer’s run of European gravel rallies.
FINAL CLASSIFICATIONS
WRC / OVERALL
9th: Mārtiņš Sesks / Renārs Francis
18th: Josh McErlean / Eoin Treacy (SR)
WRC2
6th WRC2 / 16th Overall: Mille Johansson / Johan Grönvall
11th WRC2 / 23rd Overall: Romet Jürgenson / Siim Oja (SR)
Retired Saturday: Jon Armstrong / Shane Byrne (accident)
EVENT SUMMARY
M-Sport's crews navigated a logistically and physically demanding opening to the rally, but patience and hard work across the weekend would pay off in the form of strong stage times from all crews by the final day.
A challenging Friday gave way to a long and gruelling Saturday, with heavy rain making conditions treacherous throughout - ultimately catching out both Armstrong and McErlean in the afternoon stages.
Despite difficult road-cleaning conditions, Armstrong and Sesks both delivered impressive stage times on SS14 and SS17, showing encouraging pace and setting the team up well for the upcoming run of gravel events.
The standout moment of the weekend came on Sunday morning, when McErlean and Treacy claimed their maiden Rally1 overall stage win on the first run through the iconic Fafe stage. Teammate Sesks was just 0.8 seconds off the pace in second, while the changing weather conditions allowed WRC2 runner Jürgenson to muscle into the top overall stage times, slotting in just behind Sesks.
In WRC2, Johansson impressed throughout in the Fiesta Rally2, posting consistent top-three stage times across the weekend, while Jürgenson's confidence grew steadily as the rally progressed, rounding out the event with a series of strong stage results on Sunday morning.
Richard Millener, M-Sport Ford Team Principal, said: “It’s been a proper weekend of ups and downs. It’s always great to come to Portugal, where the sheer number of fans and their enthusiasm are among the best on the whole calendar, but the weather this weekend and the challenge of these tough stages kept us busy.
“The big positive was the really competitive times from all crews across various parts of the event. Bringing it all together over a whole event takes time, so to see consistent improvement from all our drivers is really promising.
“We’re now back to tarmac one more time this year in Japan, but before that I just want to say thank you to everyone in the team who helped complete these three rallies in five weeks. It was a huge logistical and operational challenge, and they all deserve praise for their efforts in making it happen.”
CREW SUMMARIES
FORD PUMA RALLY1
#22 Mārtiņš Sesks / Renārs Francis
Returning to the Puma for the first time since Rally Sweden, Thursday saw Sesks and Francis working hard to re-acquaint themselves with the car and rebuild their rhythm ahead of a long weekend.
Still finding their footing on Friday morning, the pair focused on identifying areas for improvement while keeping clean and staying within close margins of their teammates. Confidence grew as the day progressed, with Sesks going fourth fastest on SS8 and third fastest on SS9.
The day took a costly turn on the final stage, however, when a double puncture forced Sesks to stop and change both tyres simultaneously, losing just over four minutes and dropping nine positions to 18th overall.
Saturday's wet conditions posed a fresh challenge, with Sesks admitting the morning set-up had not been perfectly calibrated for how severe the weather would prove to be.
The afternoon told a different story. A much more comfortable Sesks went second fastest behind Ogier on the monster 26km Amarante stage, steadily gaining positions throughout the afternoon loop to climb back into the top ten and head into Sunday sitting ninth overall.
A strong run on Sunday's first pass of the Fafe Power Stage saw Sesks finish just 0.8 seconds off McErlean's top Rally1 stage time, demonstrating real pace in the challenging conditions. A clean run through the final Power Stage would see Sesks and Francis confirm their ninth overall finish.
Mārtiņš Sesks, 9th overall, said: “Looking back at the weekend, there are a lot of positives we can take from this rally. We showed consistent performance throughout the whole weekend, having some top three times each day, which demonstrates that we have a good base. Now it's up to taking the knowledge from here, and trying to put it into our next rally in Greece."
#55 Josh McErlean / Eoin Treacy
McErlean and Treacy settled into their rhythm on Thursday afternoon, setting the fourth fastest time on SS3's Super Special, joint with Fourmaux and Solberg.
Fastest of the Puma crews through the opening two stages on Friday, the pair were still finding their balance with the car, when a sensor issue carried through from the morning caused them to check in five minutes late ahead of SS7 and collect a 50-second time penalty.
Despite the setback, McErlean went sixth fastest on a slippery SS8, ahead of Katsuta and Sordo in the tricky conditions, and the pair fought back to ninth overall by the end of Friday's stages.
Saturday morning brought rain and low-grip conditions, but McErlean responded with a series of consistent, trouble-free runs through the morning loop.
The afternoon proved more challenging, with the pair spinning on a slippery corner on the 26km SS17 Amarante stage and becoming beached in the brush. With the help of nearby spectators, they rejoined the road and finished the stage, slipping one place to tenth overall.
Their Saturday troubles were not, however, over. On the day's final stage, a treacherously wet and muddy Lousada Super Special caught McErlean out, sending the car into a concrete wall and damaging the front left corner, ending their day early, just short of the finish.
The car was repaired overnight, with the crew returning on Sunday morning to push for Super Sunday points.
In a remarkable comeback, McErlean and Treacy stormed through the first pass of the Fafe Power Stage to claim their first-ever WRC overall stage win; a fitting reward for their hard work and dedication, and a moment that mirrored their maiden WRC2 stage win on Rally de Portugal in 2024.
Despite late disappointment in the final Power Stage, where the pair had to stop to change at puncture mid-way through the stage, they would make it cleanly to the finish of a tough Rally de Portugal, with many positives to take away.
Josh McErlean, 18th overall, said: "Rally Portugal is done and dusted. It's been quite competitive this weekend with plenty of ups and downs. We nearly secured the stage win today in Fafe, which was special, but we were just edged out at the very last minute. We faced some issues along the way, and unfortunately hit the wall in Lousasa on Saturday night, probably the worst wall you could hit in rallying! I want to give big thanks to the whole team for their tremendous effort to get us back out today. They were up quite late last night, so thanks to all the lads and ladies for that. Japan is next, and we're looking forward to it and getting back on Tarmac, before the summer gravel rallies.”
#95 Jon Armstrong / Shane Byrne
Thursday's afternoon stages saw Armstrong and Byrne take a measured approach, getting to grips with the conditions on their first European gravel event of the season.
Feeling comfortable in the car through Friday morning, the pair were managing the grip well and identifying areas for improvement, before a power steering issue emerged towards the end of the loop. Despite the team's best efforts in the remote service zone at Arganil, limited time and restrictions on replacement parts meant the issue could not be fully resolved heading into the afternoon.
Fighting through a loss of power steering, Armstrong and Byrne dug deep to complete the afternoon loop, though the deficit cost them heavily on time and left them 16th overall at the end of Friday - sore arms and all.
Refreshed on Saturday, Armstrong was eager to make up ground, working hard to find a rhythm and match the pace being set by teammates McErlean and Sesks.
A hugely encouraging run through the first pass of Parades saw Armstrong set the third-fastest time behind Solberg and Evans; a result that, for a spell, had the look of a maiden stage win, and one that underlined his pace and potential on the rough gravel stages.
Sadly this momentum would be cut off after the midday service. Just 0.6km into the opening stage of the afternoon loop, Armstrong clipped the edge of a rock face on a left-hand turn, sending the car rolling down the stage and into the trees. Thankfully, both Armstrong and Byrne emerged unhurt, but the extent of the damage left the team with no option but to withdraw, ending their Rally de Portugal on Saturday afternoon.
The pair take new confidence and learnings that will help them prepare for the upcoming run of gravel events that will begin at Acropolis Rally Greece in June.
Jon Armstrong, retired Saturday, said: "It's disappointing to retire while we were fighting our way back into the points after the mechanical issues on Friday. The margins are fine at this level, and unfortunately this time it didn't go our way. Portugal is a great event, but it hasn't been my luckiest yet. I'm really looking forward to the upcoming rallies and coming back stronger."
FORD FIESTA RALLY2
#26 Mille Johansson / Johan Grönvall
Taking on their first gravel rally in the Fiesta Rally2 car, Johansson and Grönvall made a confident start to the rally on Thursday afternoon, setting the tone early with a second-fastest time in the competitive WRC2 field on SS2 and ending the opening day fifth in the category.
That strong pace carried into Friday, with the Swedish pair consistently delivering top-ten stage times and engaging in a healthy battle with teammate Jürgenson throughout the day. Their efforts were rewarded with third overall in WRC2 by the end of Friday's stages.
Saturday continued in a similar vein, with Johansson going fifth fastest on SS14 in close competition with category leader Suninen, before carrying that form through the afternoon loop to hold sixth in WRC2.
The pair maintained their measured, composed approach through Sunday morning, holding their position with a clear focus on bringing home a positive result. They would hold sixth overall in class, whilst also claiming fourth in the WRC2 Challenger category.
Mille Johansson, 6th WRC2, 16th Overall, said: "We showed some really good pace in the dry conditions, but the rain made it very difficult to find a rhythm and build confidence. I think we exceeded our expectations for this rally, particularly in the dry, and I'm happy with that. There are still a few things we need to work on, but overall it's been a very positive rally for us."
#27 Romet Jürgenson / Siim Oja
A difficult start to the rally saw Jürgenson hit a rock on his racing line during SS2, causing a steering rack failure. The resulting loss of steering fluid sparked a small fire, but the Estonian pair held their nerve to complete the stage and make it down to Figueira da Foz, where the decision was taken to retire for the day ahead of the Super Special.
Following a late remote Super Rally service, Jürgenson and co-driver Siim Oja were able to rejoin on Friday morning with a clear aim: complete a clean day and rebuild their standings.
A fourth-fastest time on SS5 signalled a strong return, and the pair backed it up with consistently competitive top-ten stage times throughout the remainder of the day.
Saturday brought more of the same measured pace, with Jürgenson going sixth fastest in WRC2 on SS14, just 1.7 seconds behind teammate Johansson, and matching that result on the day's final stage, having fought his way back up to 12th in the WRC2 standings.
Sunday delivered some unexpected highlights, with a favourable weather change on the first run of the iconic Fafe stage helping Jürgenson to an impressive fourth overall fastest time across all categories.
A fantastic penultimate stage run rounded out the weekend on a high, with the pair going second fastest in WRC2 behind Korhonen, a timely confidence boost heading into the Power Stage. A sixth-fastest time would see Jürgenson consolidate his 11th in class finish, a good performance back on gravel before returning to asphalt for Rally Japan at the end of the month.
Romet Jürgenson, 11th WRC2, 23rd Overall, said: "We experienced an impact from a rock early on that broke the steering rack, leaving us without power steering. The wisest option was to retire to fix it for the next day, as there was no service available on days one and two.
“On Friday, I was able to demonstrate decent speed through the stages. Saturday was challenging with torrential rain affecting our road position, making it difficult to commit fully without risk. Sunday's weather was more favorable, allowing us to achieve some good stage times.
“Overall, there's still work to do in my driving, particularly on the sandy stages, to extract the best performance from the vehicle. Despite the challenges, this event was an improvement compared to last year. We're now focused on moving forward to our next competition in Japan.”
