The FIA Stewards have issued a formal reprimand and a suspended €15,000 fine to the organisers of Rally de Portugal after two recovery vehicles entered a live special stage during Friday’s action.
The incidents took place on SS7 Arganil 2 and raised serious safety concerns after competing crews encountered unauthorised vehicles on the stage while it was still running.
According to the Stewards’ report, the first incident occurred when championship leader Elfyn Evans, running first on the road, caught up with a recovery truck at kilometre 16.03 of the stage. The truck later exited the stage at kilometre 17.12 without forcing an interruption to the test.
However, around 35 minutes later, a second vehicle, reportedly belonging to the same recovery company, also entered the live stage. Yohan Rossel encountered the vehicle, prompting officials to immediately red-flag the stage for safety reasons.
During hearings held on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, Clerk of the Course Horácio Rodrigues explained that the first recovery truck had been attempting to collect a retired competitor. The driver had entered GPS coordinates into his sat-nav, which incorrectly routed him onto the rally stage.
Crucially, the driver was said to be unaware that he had entered an active special stage. Despite this, the vehicle managed to pass several roadblocks and barriers intended to secure the route and mark the special stage.
The second vehicle had reportedly been sent to assist the first truck. It too passed through the stage barriers before entering the route ahead of competitors.
The organisers admitted the seriousness of the incidents and apologised to the Stewards. Representatives confirmed that local civilian authorities had been contracted to manage road closures and stage security, but acknowledged that investigations into how both vehicles gained access were still ongoing.
One of the key concerns raised by the FIA was the complete lack of communication with Rally Control once the vehicles entered the stage. Officials managing stage access are required not only to prevent unauthorised entry, but also to immediately report any breach so competitors can be warned of potential dangers. The Clerk of the Course confirmed that “at no time was the entry of these vehicles onto the stage communicated to Rally Control”.
The Stewards stated that this communication failure created an unsafe situation and therefore constituted a breach of Article 12.2.1.h of the 2026 FIA International Sporting Code, covering “unsafe acts and failure to take reasonable measures”.
Although the organisers had outsourced road closure operations to a third party, the FIA stressed that ultimate responsibility still rests with the event organiser and the Clerk of the Course.
As a result, the organisers received:
• an official reprimand;
• a €15,000 fine, suspended until the end of 2027 provided no similar breaches occur;
• and a formal requirement to strengthen safety procedures for the remainder of Rally Portugal 2026.
The FIA concluded that the penalties were intended not only as punishment, but also to ensure “continuous improvement with a specific focus on safety” at future events.
Photo: Red Bull Content Pool
