It is the first time that the Finn Mikko Hirvonen, driving a Citroen DS3, triumphs in Rally de Portugal.
Hirvonen took advantage of the bad weather conditions in the Algarve and the mistakes of his opponents to record his name in the history of the winners of the Rally de Portugal.
“It was a very difficult rally, the longest I've ever competed in. Now it feels good, really, really good. We did exactly what we had to do. It was treacherous on Friday, but I focused. I did it for myself and the team. Worth it. It was very difficult, but without a single problem”, said Mikko Hirvonen at the end of the race.
After the departure of Sebastien Loeb (also he from Citroen), Hirvonen was forced to attack Ford's rivals to defend the colors of the French brand. Friday morning was decisive, as the two Ford drivers gave Hirvonen a real gift as they went off the road in the first two qualifying sessions of the day. The Finn, seeing the task made easier, lifted his foot off the accelerator and limited himself to managing his advantage until the end of the race.
Hirvonen is now ahead of the World Cup with 75 points, while his teammate Sebestien Loeb is in second place with 66 points, 7 more than third-placed Petter Solberg.
We could not fail to emphasize the performance of Armindo Araújo, who despite not having run as expected, led many Portuguese to leave the comfort of his home to follow the rally up close. Even so, Armindo Araújo was the best Portuguese in the competition, finishing in a “frustrating” 16th place.
“It was a very difficult rally for me and with a lot of problems. I suffered a puncture in the penultimate qualifying. However, the Mini is a great car. I'm generally satisfied”, said the Portuguese driver.
Final ranking of the Rally de Portugal:
1. Mikko Hirvonen (FIN/Citroen DS3), 04:19:24.3s
2. Mads Ostberg (NOR/Ford Fiesta) +01m51.8s
3. Evgeny Novikov (RUS/Ford Fiesta) +03m25.0s
4. Petter Solberg (NOR / Ford Fiesta), +03m47.4s
5. Nasser All Attiyah (QAT /Citroen DS3) +07m57.6s
6. Martin Prokop (CZE/Ford Fiesta) +08m01.0s
7. Dennis Kuipers (NLD/Ford Fiesta) +08m39.1s
8. Sébastien Ogier (FRA /Skoda Fabia S2000) +09m00.8s
…
16. Armindo Araújo (POR/Mini WRC) +22m55.7s