WRC Acropolis: Neuville Wins, Ogier Crashes on Final Stage

Thierry Neuville took a significant step towards the World Rally Championship title with a victory in Greece. Neuville’s win in one of the toughest Acropolis Rallies in recent years has boosted his championship hopes.

His rival, Sebastien Ogier, lost his chance of finishing second after crashing on the final stage. Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe secured their second victory of the season, finishing 1 minute 36.8 seconds ahead of teammate Dani Sordo.

Ott Tänak completed the rally in third place, giving Hyundai a surprising top-three finish.

Ogier, who was running in second place with his Toyota GR Yaris, suffered a dramatic crash on the final stage, dealing a severe blow to his rally. Over the three-day event, eight out of nine Rally1 cars faced serious issues, significantly impacting the championship battle.

Neuville also faced challenges on his way to victory. His car dropped to three cylinders during the first three stages on Friday, ending the day in third place, 45.2 seconds behind the leader.

Ogier was the fastest driver on Friday, but a turbo failure on the fifth stage nearly ended his hopes of victory. Leadership briefly passed to Tänak, but he lost over four minutes on Saturday due to two tire changes and fell to fourth place.

On Saturday, Sordo took the lead but also suffered a setback by hitting a rock and puncturing a tire on the ninth stage.

Neuville became the fourth different leader of the rally and ended Saturday 53.7 seconds ahead of Sordo.

On Sunday, Ogier showed his speed again but lost his chance of victory after crashing due to a wrong corner calculation. Nevertheless, he managed to bring his car to the finish and preserve his points.