Rally Betting Portugal to Win: Favorites & Preview

Before we get into talking about the upcoming WRC rally in Portugal, we thought it might be a good idea to go over how it all works over the course of a race weekend.

It generally all begins with a vehicle test that is known as a Shakedown. This is then followed by a set number of stages spread out over a few days.

Today’s Rally de Portugal Top 4 Favorites
1. Daniel Sordo	–
2. Ott Tanak	53 points
3. Thierry Neuville	86 points
4. Sebastian Ogier	45 points

My Analysis

The Rally de Portugal, has 22 stages this weekend, but we have already seen the shakedown portion of the proceedings, which we are going to use as the basis for this piece. We are going to focus on the 4 drivers who posted the best times during that part of the time trial. While this may or may not be a sign of how the actual race will go, I think it’s a good jumping off point, so let’s get to it.

Daniel Sordo

Where things tend to get a little tricky when wagering on the WRC is when you have drivers that now race on a part-time basis. We have a couple of those guys in this preview, starting with Sordo, who is racing for the first time in 2024. It is easy to ignore these drivers when looking to place a wager, but that is not necessarily a good idea, as you will see. Sordo has raced 12 times since the 2021 season and has landed on the podium in 5 of those races. He does not have a win during that time, but he is still obviously a threat, especially since he posted the best time in the shakedown.

Ott Tanak

Since winning the world championship in 2017, Tanak has not been able to reach those lofty heights since. He has, though, been a consistent performer and has not finished outside the top 5 overall since that title win. Tanak is back in familiar territory again this season, sitting in 4th in the driver standings, although he is still looking for his first win of the 2024 season. He has also yet to land on the podium through the first 4 races but given that he finished 4th in Portugal last season, taking him in the top 3 might be worth the risk.

Thierry Neuville

It is Neuville who sits atop the driver standings after the first 4 races of the season, helped in large part by his win in Monte Carlo in the opening race of the 2024 season. While he has not won since, Neuville has been consistent and has not finished worse than 5th. During those 4 races, he massed 86 points, which has him 6 points up on Elfyn Evans. That is certainly not a huge lead by any stretch of the imagination, so Neuville will be looking to add to that this weekend. He finished 5th in each of the last 2 seasons in Portugal but could do better this time around.

Sebastian Ogier

We have another part-time driver to talk about here, but Ogier is one that you ignore at your own peril. With 8 world championships to his name, he is arguably the best driver to ever get behind the wheel in the WRC. This is his 3rd straight year as a part-time driver, but his stats are still incredible. Since 2022, Ogier has raced 15 times, winning 5 of those events and landing on the podium in 4 others. In short, this is a guy you should probably have some money on to win or at least finish in the top 3.

JOIN NOW

MyBookie | Betting Rally to Win

Rally Portugal Info

When: Thursday 9-Sunday 12 May
Where: Portugal
TV / Streaming: Rally.tv

Previous Betting News | MyBookie News Archive

2023 Rally de Portugal

In the grand scheme of things, a 13-race season is not particularly long, but what it means is that every race, as well as every point earned, is incredibly important. We are 4 races into the 2023 WRC season and that fact is becoming very clear. The top 4 drivers are separated by just 4 points, while the previous leader, Thierry Neuville, is down to 5th after a poor showing, where he picked up just 5 points, in the Croatian Rally. He is still close enough to the leading pack to very much still be in the championship conversation, but how will all of that change after the Portugal Rally this coming weekend? We will have to wait and see, but for now, let’s take a look the Rally betting analysis and the current top 4 and their chances for this upcoming race.

2023 WRC Vodafone Rally de Portugal Analysis and Preview | WRC Betting Picks

When: Sunday, May 14 at 3:15 pm ET
Where: Matosinhos, Portugal
Streaming/TV: WRCplus.com / Eleven Sports.com / ESPN3

Sebastien Ogier

It is never easy to knock off a champion, as they know how to win and handle the pressure that comes over the course of a season. With 8 World Championships already under his belt, Ogier is arguably the best driver we have ever seen in the WRC. He had himself a bit of an off year in 2022, finishing 6th overall, but he is back on top, tied with another driver on 69 points after the opening 4 races of the season. He already has 2 wins on the season, but his last victory in Portugal came back in 2017, so no guarantee that win #3 will be coming this weekend.

Elfyn Evans

Over the previous 3 years, Evans has been the nearly man in the WRC, finishing 2nd overall twice, while landing in 4th in the other of those years. You get the definite sense that he will win a championship sooner rather than later, but will it come this year? He has been no worse than 5th in the 4 races this season, but he got to 69 points on the year with a win in Croatia in the last race. He has to be seen as a real threat this weekend, too, as he finished 1st and 2nd, respectively, in his last 2 races in Portugal.

Kalle Rovanpera

2022 was a breakout year for Rovanpera, as he ousted Ogier from the top spot and took the World Championship. Winning in back-to-back years is never easy, but Rovanpera is very much in the hunt, as he is just 1 point back of the drivers tied for the lead. He has amassed those points without picking up and win and taking just 1 podium. After his 2nd place run in Round 1, he has since had 3 straight 4th place finishes. Rovanpera won this rally in 2022, so he is likely to be at or near the front again this time around.

Ott Tanak

Tanak won his first world championship back in 2019, and while he has been good ever since, he has not been able to scale those heights again, although he has had a pair of top 3 overall finishes in that time. He looks set to challenge again this season, as he is just 4 points out of the top spot. Tanak had a win in Sweden earlier this season and is coming off a 2nd place finish in Croatia. He won in Portugal in his championship winning season, so perhaps a win here could be a sign of history repeating.