Rally Portugal delivered a dramatic twist in the final stages, as Thierry Neuville inherited the lead after defending World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier suffered a costly puncture on the penultimate stage.

Ogier had been cruising toward what looked like an eighth career victory in Portugal, holding a comfortable 17.3-second advantage over Neuville heading into Stage 22. The nine-time champion had weathered the morning's wet conditions admirably, but his rally unraveled in an instant when his Toyota hit a rock on the racing line, causing a right rear puncture.

Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais managed to change the wheel, but the two-minute loss dropped him from first to sixth overall. "It was very rough and there were some rocks in the line. There were rocks everywhere at the beginning," a frustrated Ogier explained.

With just one stage remaining, Neuville now holds a 14.8-second lead and is poised to deliver Hyundai its first win of the season—a welcome result after the team's last victory came at the 2024 finale in Saudi Arabia. The Belgian driver, who clinched the 2024 world title, came agonizingly close to winning in Croatia last month before crashing out on the final stage. "Nothing is done yet. So far we have done the job, now we must finish. We know how not to do it, now we should do it," Neuville said, referencing that costly mistake.

The leaderboard underwent a major shakeup as third-placed Sami Pajari also suffered a puncture, dropping the Finn to seventh. Toyota's Oliver Solberg jumped to second, while championship leader Elfyn Evans moved into third. Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux, who set the fastest time on Stage 22, sits fourth. Takamoto Katsuta took fifth ahead of Ogier, with Dani Sordo, Martins Sesks, and WRC2 leader Teemu Suninen rounding out the top ten.

As the rally heads toward its final stage, all eyes are on Neuville to see if he can avoid another last-minute heartbreak and claim a crucial victory for Hyundai.