Jari-Matti Latvala leads eventful Rally Portugal

With the level of loose gravel that was hampering the frontrunners varying from stage to stage, smoke from nearby forest fires proving distracting in places, and drivers managing the wear on their soft tyres at different rates, positions changed relentlessly.

Dani Sordo initially put his Hyundai in front by winning SS2, although he was just a tenth of a second ahead of overnight leader Andreas Mikkelsen's Volkswagen.

Mikkelsen quickly responded and was back on top after SS3, but Latvala was building up pace having conserved his Michelins on the early stages.

Fifth at first, Latvala was up to third behind Mikkelsen and Kris Meeke by the end of SS3 and then set a comfortable fastest time on the concluding Viana do Castelo stage.

That thrust him into a 6.1-second overall lead ahead of Meeke, with Mikkelsen dropping to third.

Sordo could not maintain his incredible SS2 pace - achieved despite fears of a misfire - and he slipped back to fourth, 12.3s off the lead.

Ott Tanak also flew on the morning's opener, going second fastest in M-Sport's new Ford Fiesta and putting himself briefly third overall.

Though he subsequently slid down to fifth, he is still within 14.3s of the lead.

His performance provided reassurance for M-Sport after his team-mate Elfyn Evans's Fiesta stopped with electrical problems on the day's first stage.

Championship leader Sebastien Ogier had a tough morning.

A puncture late on SS2 delayed him and he described the level of loose gravel he encountered running first on SS4 as the worst grip he had experienced in his career.

That all leaves him 25.7s off the lead in seventh, just behind surprise SS3 pacesetter Mads Ostberg and ahead of Hayden Paddon, who was second to Latvala on SS4.

The third Hyundai of Theirry Neuville is a distant ninth. The Belgian rued his choice of hard tyres as everyone else opted for softs and felt he had not driven well.

Robert Kubica completes the current top 10, losing a little time with an SS4 puncture.