After the icy roads of Monte Carlo, the winter wonderland of the Finnish Arctic and tricky asphalt of Croatia, it’s finally time for the first gravel event of the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship: the Rally de Portugal.
With Sébastien Ogier leading Thierry Neuville by just eight points at the top of the standings, the championship race is wide-open heading into a run of rocky rallies over the coming weeks.
Portugal could give us the form guide for what’s to come over the rest of the season. Hear what the drivers are expecting in Red Bull TV’s exclusive preview show on Thursday, and then watch the best of the action each day with the highlights shows. It’s all available to watch on-demand at any time.
Portugal: Why you should watch |
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- Part of the first ever WRC season in 1973, Portugal is not only one of the oldest events on the calendar but also among the most popular. The Fafe stage with its spectacular jump – which will host the conclusion of the rally on Sunday – sits among the most famous sections of road in the entire championship.
- The first gravel event of the season provides the teams and drivers with another new set of tyres to get to grips with in this, the first year of Pirelli’s return as exclusive supplier. And tyre choice can be vital in Portugal: Grip can be limited on the sandy surface during the first pass of the stages, before things get rougher and rockier in the afternoon.
- The first day of the rally on Friday could be crucial. It features eight stages in total, most of them to the south of service park in the area around Arganil, which returned to the schedule when the rally was last run in 2019. There’s no mid-day service, just a tyre-fitting zone, so drivers will need to take care of their cars.
- Ogier has five wins in Portugal – sharing the record with Markku Alén – but faces the disadvantage of running first on the road on day one as championship leader and sweeping the loose gravel. With Neuville eight points away and Elfyn Evans 10 behind his Toyota team-mate, it could be all change after this one. Perhaps best-placed is Dani Sordo, making just his second start of the season with Hyundai.
- It’s certainly not all about Toyota and Hyundai: Plenty of eyes will be on M-Sport Ford driver Adrien Fourmaux too after the French youngster finished a fantastic fifth on his top-flight WRC debut in Croatia.
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Tune in with Red Bull TV – wherever you’re online
Red Bull TV will be bringing you all the action and insight from Portugal – beginning even before the rally itself.
New for the 2021 season, the exclusive preview show combines driver interviews with a look ahead at what is to come over the weekend. Daily highlights are then available at the end of each day.
Every broadcast can be viewed on-demand at any time, wherever you’re connected on redbull.tv or via the app.
| Red Bull TV Broadcast Schedule: Rally de Portugal |
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Preview show: Thursday 20 May, 18:00 local time (19:00 CEST)
Highlights show: Friday 21 May, 22:00 local time (23:00 CEST)
Highlights show: Saturday 22 May, 22:00 local time (23:00 CEST)
Highlights show: Sunday 23 May, 22:00 local time (23:00 CEST)Watch Red Bull TV on all your devices, wherever you’re connected |
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