Neuville wins in Portugal

Thierry Neuville won Vodafone Rally de Portugal on Sunday afternoon to regain the lead of the FIA World Rally Championship.

The Belgian steered clear of trouble on rocky dirt roads to win this sixth round of the series by 40.0sec in a Hyundai i20 and demote five-time champion Sébastien Ogier from the top of the standings.

Britain’s Elfyn Evans finished second in a Ford Fiesta, 7.3sec ahead of team-mate Teemu Suninen, who scored the first podium of his career. Ogier was out of the points after crashing in a rally of attrition which sidelined many frontrunners.

Esapekka Lappi won the final live TV Power Stage to claim five bonus points in a Toyota Yaris. Neuville took four points for second with team-mate Dani Sordo scoring three in third. Suninen and Evans took two and one point respectively.

More news to follow.