The FIA World Rally Championship heads to one of its most iconic stops this week as Vodafone Rally de Portugal (15 – 18 May) welcomes the world's best drivers for round five of the 2025 season.

First held in 1973, Portugal is a founding event of the WRC and remains one of its most cherished.

Fans flock to the famous gravel stages in their hundreds of thousands, lining the hillsides of Fafe, Arganil and beyond to witness the action up close.

This year's event marks the strongest Rally1 entry since 2022, with 12 top-tier cars set to start. Leading the charge is Elfyn Evans, who arrives at the Matosinhos-based fixture holding a commanding 43-point lead in the drivers' championship after a dream start to the season.

Evans is spearheading a dominant campaign from Toyota GAZOO Racing, which holds a perfect four-from-four win record so far in 2025. The Japanese marque is also unbeaten in Portugal since 2019, with Evans among its past winners thanks to his 2021 triumph.

Joining the Welshman in a stacked Toyota line-up are two-time Portugal winner Kalle Rovanperä, record six-time Portugal victor Sébastien Ogier, Takamoto Katsuta and rising star Sami Pajari. Only Evans, Rovanperä and Ogier are nominated to score points for Toyota's main team.

"I've always loved Portugal," said Ogier. "It's a rally with a special atmosphere and amazing fans. Last year's win to make it six was really satisfying – repeating that this week would be incredible."

Hyundai Motorsport arrives determined to bounce back from a tough most recent outing in Gran Canaria, where set-up woes hampered performance. Defending champion Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak sit third and fifth respectively in the standings, while Adrien Fourmaux – who scored a top-three result on this year's opening round in Monte-Carlo – continues his search for a maiden WRC win in the third i20 N Rally1.

M-Sport Ford fields an expanded line-up with four Puma Rally1s entered. Regulars Grégoire Munster and Josh McErlean are joined by Latvian youngster Mārtiņš Sesks, contesting the second round of his part-time 2025 programme. After showing flashes of speed on his Rally1 debut in Poland last year, the gravel stages of Portugal offer a real benchmark for his development. Portuguese privateer Diogo Salvi also joins the line-up.

In WRC2, the championship's premier support category, a record-breaking 45 registered entries highlight the growing strength and depth of competition in 2025. Frontrunners include Oliver Solberg, Gus Greensmith, Yohan Rossel and Pierre-Louis Loubet.

The rally kicks off on Thursday with the ceremonial start in Coimbra before crews tackle 24 competitive stages totalling nearly 350 kilometres across four days of flat-out gravel action.

The World Rally Championship (WRC) is the FIA's premium rally series. It showcases high-performance cars and the world's best drivers competing in dramatic surroundings, ranging from Sweden's freezing winter to Kenya's heat and rocky tracks. Participants battle for drivers' and manufacturers' titles at 14 rallies. More information can be found at www.wrc.com