After six Toyota -straight triumphs in the early WRC 2025 races, finally Hyundai broke the sequence with Ott Tänak (Hyundai i20 n Rally1) to win, which has no longer succeeded her since last year’s central European rally. Hyundai has not won either since this rally.
In any case, considering that Ott Tanak reached the end of Powerstage with speed cashier problems, it remains to be seen if you can fulfill the rest of the course. And when it is now to wait to see…
In any case, let’s start from the beginning that you can… if so, in Greece, a totally deserved triumph. Estonium came to the lead at PEC6, after a big fight with the men in front of him, and after that it was always first or second (once third) in the remaining section, giving no hypothesis to Sébastien Ogier (Toyota Gr Yaris Rally1) react. And the Frenchman tried well.
For Ogier, after three triumphs on Mount Carlo, Portugal and Sardenha, it was second, as in the Rally of the Canarys. Ogier, as always went to the fight, but this time Tanak and Hyundai gave no chance to anyone.
Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai i20 n rally1) was third, repeating the podium of Monte Carlo. Since then, it has shown quickly, but very little consistency and some propensity for errors, which also succeeded in this test, which moved him from the fights in front, but this time was not a ‘fatal’ mistake and with that, I was able to stay on the podium, where it ended.
Tanak
Ott Tänak, behind the wheel of his Hyundai i20 n rally1, dominated, as perceived, the acropolis’s rally in Greece, demonstrating resilience and strategy at an event marked by high temperatures and challenging roads. On Friday, Tänak emerged with a slight advantage, surviving a chaotic day. Despite not being overcome any of the six special land specials, he maintained a consistent approach, avoiding problems with tires or the car. On Saturday, Tänak dilated his leadership, winning five of the six specials and moving away from Sébastien Ogier. With impeccable driving and a constantly improved car, Tänak put himself well positioned to reach his first victory since the Central European Rally in October and climbing to second place in the championship, which he confirmed.
Ogier without answer for Tanak
Sébastien Ogier, behind the wheel of his Toyota Gr Yaris Rally1, reached second place in the acropolis’s rally. On Friday, Ogier led the race, winning the two passages in the Special of Aghii Theodori, but previous damage limited his tire options for the last steps, finishing the day in third place. On Saturday, Ogier maintained a consistent approach, avoiding unnecessary risks and focusing on staying out of trouble. Despite gain only one special for 0.1 seconds, Ogier prioritized reliability and strategy, ensuring second place overall.
Podium
Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai i20 n Rally1) was third, in a test marked by ups and downs. On Friday, the French showed speed and resilience, winning three specials. However, on Saturday, an impact with a stone on the PEC10 damaged the rear suspension of his car, costing it more than a minute and causing him to fall to third place, behind Ogier. Despite the setbacks, Fourmaux managed to keep third position until the end of the rally.
Evans minimizes ‘damage’
Elfyn Evans (Toyota Gr Yaris Rally1) secured fourth place in the acropolis’s rally. On Friday, Evans remained fourth, even opening the road. On Saturday, Evans continued with a consistent pace, ensuring an important score for the championship. Despite describing the conditions as “very difficult”, Evans remained in fourth place, focusing on securing crucial points for the championship. This time it well minimized the losses which was not the case in the previous tests.
Very bad for Neuville
Thierry Neuville, behind the wheel of his Hyundai i20 n rally1, had an unlucky rally on the acropolis, marked by three holes. Despite leading briefly after the third special, two holes on Friday cost him about three minutes. On Saturday, Neuville suffered another hole, but managed to recover until fifth. However, the pilot lamented the lack of luck, stating that the holes prevented him from showing his true potential. It was a good race to recover more points in the championship, but the bad luck ‘plotted it’. It is becoming increasingly difficult to revalidate the title it won in 2024…
Fuel ‘plotted’ several
Greegoire Munster, behind the wheel of his Ford Puma Rally1, had a rally marked by difficulties. On Friday, Munster adopted a cautious strategy, focusing on avoiding problems and reaching fifth place. On Saturday, the pilot fought with problems in the hand brake, but managed to finish the stage in sixth place. The team removed the race car on Saturday, apparently due to fuel issues, the same succeeding Martins Sesks (Ford Puma Rally1) and Sami Pajari (Toyota Gr Yaris Rally1).
Problems with the new fuel and its interaction with the Rally1 tanks were the cause of various dropouts in the acropolis rally in Greece. After the bankruptcy of P1 Fuels, Totalenergies became the new fuel supplier. Although the change went well before, several cars developed problems, leading to three dropouts. The FIA has confirmed that the problems are related to fuel and is supporting teams and suppliers to solve the situation.
Unrecognizable rovanpera
Takamoto Katsuta and Kalle Rovanperä, both behind the wheel of a Toyota Gr Yaris Rally1, faced a difficult rally. On Friday, both had to stop to change a tire, losing about two minutes each. On Saturday, Katsuta climbed to fifth, but a mistake in the special 11 left him in a drink, forcing him to abandon. Rovanperä also had difficulties, leaving the road on the same special and ending up abandoning. “I tried to do my best, but it’s a great disappointment this weekend, not at the level I should be. I apologize to the team, I’m going to work for Estonia.”
Mārtiņņ Sesks (Ford Puma Rally1) suffered a hole very early in the race, delayed huge. After good installments on the second day, he had to abandon due to problems with the fuel already mentioned.
Josh Mcerlean (Ford Puma Rally1) ended off the top 10. On Saturday, Mcerlean fell to 13th after piloting with a damaged rear transmission shape for two specials and complete the afternoon without hand brake.
Sami Pajari (Toyota Gr Yaris Rally1), to compete for the first time in the acropolis’s rally in a Gr Yaris Rally1, performed well and was in podium position after the second special. However, a technical problem (also with fuel) after the special fifth forced him to leave.
