Sebastien Ogier survived Greece’s punishing gravel roads and capitalised on Thierry Neuville’s double puncture to secure a maximum-points WRC victory.
Ogier conquers a punishing Acropolis
Sebastien Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais won the 2026 Acropolis Rally Greece after tyre trouble transformed their tense fight with Thierry Neuville on the penultimate stage.
The Toyota crew finished the Lamia-based event in 3h36m40.7s, 58.3 seconds ahead of Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe. Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston claimed third in another Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, trailing the winners by 3m04.8s.
Ogier found the balance the Acropolis demanded. He maintained enough speed to stay in contention while preserving the car and tyres over rough gravel, sharp rocks and intense heat. Only one other Rally1 driver completed the event without a tyre failure.
It was the nine-time world champion’s second WRC victory of 2026 after his Rally Islas Canarias success. Ogier also topped the Super Sunday classification and won the final Power Stage, securing the maximum available total of 35 points.
Late punctures settle Neuville duel
Neuville entered Sunday 4.1s ahead of Ogier after the two crews stayed within 11.0s of each other across Friday and Saturday. With four stages left, the Hyundai driver held a slender advantage in a contest shaped by outright pace and survival.
Ogier responded at once. He moved 1.3s ahead on Sunday’s opening test, then the rivals set identical times on Stage 15 to preserve that tiny gap with two stages remaining.
Two rear punctures struck Neuville on the penultimate test. He lost 53.5s, ending a victory bid that had lasted for almost the entire rally. Ogier won the stage and took a 54.8s advantage into the final Loutraki Power Stage.
Ogier didn’t settle for protecting the lead. He went fastest again on the rough finale, completing a sweep of the rally victory, Super Sunday and Power Stage rewards. His final margin over Neuville grew to 58.3s.
“The Greek gods finally supported me! It was a long weekend, there was never a time to relax. I drove as gently as I could and tried to avoid every stone,” Ogier said.
Neuville saves second, Toyota claims third
Neuville still guided his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 to second despite the late blow. He and Wydaeghe had shown victory pace, only for one punishing sequence to wipe out their chance of converting it into a win.
“I am between disappointment and somehow a little bit of joy right now, because the car is performing well and we feel comfortable in it. Mixed feelings. Fair play to Ogier, he did an incredible race as well,” Neuville said.
Katsuta secured Toyota’s second podium place, 2m06.5s behind Neuville. Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen finished fourth in another GR Yaris Rally1, while Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin took fifth.
Evans had little room to spare. He beat M-Sport’s Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy to fifth by only 0.6s. Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria finished seventh, 13.2s behind McErlean.
Martins Sesks and Renars Francis placed eighth despite a 3m10s penalty. Rally2 crews filled the final two top-10 positions, with Robert Virves and Jakko Viilo ninth in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. Andreas Mikkelsen and Jørgen Eriksen Listerud finished tenth in another Škoda.
Maximum score boosts title pursuit
Ogier’s 35-point weekend delivered more than his second victory of the season. He departed Greece 37 points behind championship leader and Toyota team-mate Evans, improving his chances of pursuing a record 10th WRC drivers’ title.
It also flipped the outcome from the previous gravel round in Portugal, where Ogier’s late puncture helped Neuville take victory. In Greece, tyre damage cost Neuville his opportunity as Ogier made it through unscathed.
The reversal showed how thin the margin can be on rough gravel. Ogier and Neuville were almost inseparable on pace before the punctures, but the Toyota driver’s management of the risks delivered every available reward.
Toyota put four GR Yaris Rally1 cars inside the top five with Ogier, Katsuta, Pajari and Evans. Ogier’s bonus-point sweep added to an especially productive Greek round for the manufacturer.
WRC travels next to Estonia
The Acropolis marked round eight of the 14-event 2026 WRC season. Eight different rounds produced six winners: Oliver Solberg in Monte Carlo, Evans in Sweden and Japan, Katsuta in Kenya and Croatia, Ogier in the Canary Islands and Greece, Neuville in Portugal.
Next comes Rally Estonia from 16-19 July, as the championship leaves the rocky, attritional roads around Lamia for faster gravel. The character will change, while Ogier arrives with fresh momentum and his title campaign firmly back in contention.
