Gronholm: 'The most terrible rally I’ve ever seen...'

Two stages were cancelled in Friday's first leg as a result of mud on stages making them virtually impassable for competitors and safety crews and today's SS15, Arganil, has already fallen victim to the conditions after one run through earlier in the leg. The stage will be run, but significantly delayed.

Low cloud and walls of spectators on the sides of the roads are adding to the problems.

"This is the most terrible rally I've ever seen," said Peugeot ace Gronholm, who currently lies third overall. "In some places, visibility is less than 50 metres and we're going into corners at 150kph. I can't push in these conditions - I need bigger eyes."

Rally leader Tommi Makinen added: "We had an extra problem in those stages - the marshals and the spectators. A few times, marshals actually ran in front of us, maybe only 10 or 15 metres before we got there. It's extremely hard to go flat out in the fog and mist."

Richard Burns, who has clawed his way to fourth, was also concerned with the mix of massive crowds and low visibility.

"On the third stage of the day (SS13), there was a lot of fifth and sixth gear stuff and there was a solid line of people for a full kilometre on both sides of the road," he said. "I don't think any stage should run when it's like that third stage."

Carlos Sainz, second overall for Ford, also expressed concerns over conditions the rally was encountering.

"It's terrible with the fog," he said. "I don't think position on the road makes a very big difference today."

The Spaniard also recollected his meeting with a parked FIA Safety Delegate car on SS12, saying: "One car was parked very badly in the second stage. It had hazards on, but I didn't know if it was Tommi (Makinen), if the road was blocked or if there'd been an accident."

The repeat of SS13, Gois, should be SS16, but this is now set to be delayed, if not cancelled.

Fog at Porto airport could also cause further problems, with the event's communications aircraft facing potential difficulties in landing and refuelling.