The drama in Portugal is heating up, and Rally Portugal 2025 delivered a wild Friday that flipped the leaderboard on its head. Reigning world champion Sébastien Ogier now leads the pack, but it took a stroke of luck—and a spectacular off from Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux—to get him there.

Ogier started the day struggling to find his rhythm in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. But after some mid-service adjustments, the nine-time champion found his groove. By the afternoon, he was charging hard, winning stage seven and climbing from third to second place behind Fourmaux.

Then came the moment that changed everything. In stage eight, Fourmaux hit a rough patch of bedrock that sent his i20 N flying off the road. He managed to wrestle the car back, but not before picking up double punctures on the right side. The damage cost him 29.3 seconds and the rally lead he'd held since stage four.

Ogier inherited the top spot, leading Hyundai's Thierry Neuville by 4.2 seconds. Neuville had been battling handling issues all day—oversteer here, understeer there—but kept the pressure on. Ogier extended his lead to 5.0 seconds after winning stage nine, but Neuville fought back, taking his second stage win of the day and cutting the gap to just 3.6 seconds by the finish line.

Behind them, Toyota's Sami Pajari and Oliver Solberg are lurking in third and fourth, keeping the top two honest. And with rain expected on Saturday, the fight is far from over. If Friday was any indication, Portugal is serving up a rally to remember.