The Toyota driver described it as “hard to accept” after a commanding performance in brutal conditions was undone by a late puncture, costing him victory.
Sébastien Ogier admitted the loss of a near-certain World Rally Championship win in Portugal was a bitter pill to swallow, citing “bad luck” after a puncture on the penultimate stage.
The nine-time world champion delivered a masterclass in wet and treacherous conditions on Saturday, building a 21.9-second lead heading into Sunday’s final four stages. He appeared well on course to secure an eighth career Rally Portugal victory.
However, those hopes crumbled when Ogier suffered a right rear puncture on the penultimate stage. The resulting wheel change cost him two minutes, dropping him out of contention. The misfortune was compounded for Toyota as third-placed Sami Pajari also punctured in the same spot.
Ogier managed to bring his GR Yaris home in sixth place overall. Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville inherited the lead and went on to claim his 23rd career victory, ending his team’s win drought dating back to November 2025.
After delivering a vintage display in some of the worst conditions Rally Portugal has seen in recent years, Ogier found it difficult to accept that all his hard work had evaporated in an instant.
“I feel that Vincent and I deserve much better than this, but that is part of the game in motorsport,” Ogier told Motorsport.com.
“Unfortunately we ran out of luck today, there is no other explanation for this puncture. We were all driving in the same line, as there is only one line in the ruts, sand, and narrow rocks.
“We have seen these little rocks and it looked okay for most of us, but myself and Sami picked up punctures there. It was very early into this long stage, so there was no option but to stop and change the wheel, and we had to forget any hope of a good result.”
Despite the disappointment, the 42-year-old took pride in proving he still possesses the speed to compete at the highest level, especially after some of his finest driving in challenging conditions.
“There are many reasons to keep our heads up today. We can’t hide that it hurts when you get such bad luck after all the hard work we did this week to get through these tough conditions,” Ogier added.
“We got very close to victory, and it is hard to accept right now. But I have been in this sport long enough to know that’s how it goes.
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