After three consecutive rallies on fast and smooth gravel roads in the north of Europe, the World Rally Championship returns to rougher and rockier ground for Acropolis Rally Greece.
The Acropolis has a legendary reputation as one of the most grueling events in rallying, and while the stages might generally be in better condition than in the past, the three editions held since it returned to the calendar in 2021 have shown it still needs treating with respect.
Following a short summer break, the Rally1 drivers therefore need to adapt to a rather different challenge. Can Thierry Neuville take a step closer to his first title, or will Sébastien Ogier continue his fine form to keep closing the gap? Will Ott Tänak or Elfyn Evans be able to bounce back from their Secto Rally Finland retirements?
Read on for our form guide ahead of the Acropolis:
#11 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 2nd-8th-4th
Best Greece result: 1st (2022)
Thierry Neuville had every reason to be anxious about defending his championship lead across the fast gravel rallies of Poland, Latvia and Finland – given that he never really appeared comfortable at the wheel of his Hyundai – but he did an excellent damage-limitation job to emerge from the three-event run with his championship lead increased from 18 to 27 points.
That is a useful buffer to take to Greece given how little grip could be available running first on the road on Friday – although rain has meant that road position hasn’t played such a role as might be expected there in two of the past three years.
All other things considered, the Acropolis is an event that should suit Neuville and his i20 far more than the previous events. He led team-mate Tänak in a 1-2 two years ago – with the aid of some controversial team orders – but hit trouble in the form of damaged steering while leading in 2023, effectively ending his championship hopes.
Avoiding such trouble will surely have to be the priority this time around.
#17 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 1st-2nd-2nd
Best Greece result: 1st (2011)
While Neuville left Finland with an extended championship margin, he might have been more concerned about who his nearest rival is now.
Sébastien Ogier’s form in 2024 remains remarkable: three wins and three second places from six events started. Even if he’s said a ninth title doesn’t especially interest him, he will surely now contest every remaining rally for as long as he’s a contender.
The Acropolis was always in his plans for this season. A winner of the event back in 2011, he’s taken part in two of three editions held since its return to the calendar in 2021, and was leading last year until being hit by a series of issues at the end of Saturday. Despite that, this is exactly the sort of event that plays to the experienced Frenchman’s skills and experience.
The drawback of climbing to second in the championship is that Ogier no longer has as much road position advantage he had earlier in the season, but he’ll still be keen to make any advantage he does have over Neuville pay.
#8 Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: DNF-3rd-40th
Best Greece result: 2nd (2021 & 2022)
The summer’s three high-speed, high-commitment rallies certainly didn’t live up to expectation for Ott Tänak. An unfortunate meeting with a deer in Poland was followed by a rather fortunate podium in Latvia and an early retirement in Finland resulting from a heavy Friday morning crash.
While the prediction beforehand might have been that he would have closed the gap to Neuville over those events, the 31-point deficit he has now is still not insurmountable for a driver of Tänak’s talents should he be able to return to top spot.
Greece might not be considered traditional Tänak territory, but he’s been strong with Hyundai there previously, finishing second in both 2021 and 2022 – and he might have won in the second year had he been allowed to take the fight to Neuville. As his third Sardinia win in June showed, rough gravel can suit Tänak just as well as the smoother stuff – not unlike five-time Acropolis winner Colin McRae.
#33 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: DNF-5th-2nd
Best Greece result: 2nd (2023)
Elfyn Evans was doing what he could over the summer to chip away at Neuville’s championship lead, finishing second in Poland, fifth in Latvia (after a tough Friday for the road openers) and was looking good for another second place in Finland until a rare mechanical failure on his Toyota on Saturday was followed by a costly Sunday off as he tried to salvage his weekend.
It was a huge blow, but the Welshman can be counted on not to throw in the towel yet. He’s closed gaps greater than 36 points in the past to keep his hopes alive when they’ve already been written off.
He’s probably going to need some luck to fall his way between now and the end of the season, but the Acropolis is exactly the type of demanding event that can present such opportunities. Evans hasn’t had a lot of good fortune there himself in the past, but road section repairs to a damaged radiator enabled him to reach the finish in second place last year, and such ability to keep going through tough conditions can pay off – see his Turkey win in 2020.
The biggest concern pre-event though is whether he can find a better feeling on hard-based gravel roads after struggling in Portugal and Sardinia.
#16 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 3rd-4th-3rd
Best Greece result: 7th (2021)
Adrien Fourmaux had perhaps the most consistently strong form across the trio of fast rallies this summer. Two third places and a fourth probably outperformed what would have been expected from the M-Sport Ford Puma on such events, especially considering the limited pre-event testing available.
It’s a run that has only served to enforce Fourmaux’s mature and impressive return to the top level this season. His championship chances still remain remote at best, but that he can be considered in contention at all is testament to the job he and the team are doing this year.
On paper, a rougher rally like the Acropolis should present a better opportunity for M-Sport and Fourmaux – although Portugal and Sardinia were not the strongest events for them earlier this year. But with a more favorable road position than the top four, another error-free run from Fourmaux could be rewarded come Sunday.
#18 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 41st-6th-8th
Best Greece result: 6th (2022 & 2023)
Takamoto Katsuta was, like Tänak, another driver who had been hoping for more from the previous three rallies. He was in the majority as one of those caught out by a particularly demanding Secto Rally Finland, but, considering the attrition, it was a missed opportunity to repeat his 2023 podium.
The Acropolis provides a chance for a reset, and Katsuta has a good record for recognizing when demanding conditions require a more considered approach. It’s why he has three podiums from four starts in Kenya, and while he has only started the Acropolis twice, he has safely finished sixth both times.
A similar approach this time around would do him no harm at all, especially with Toyota back to three cars for this event – meaning it will want Katsuta to be there to bank some points should trouble hit Ogier or Evans.
#6 Dani Sordo (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 3rd-5th-DNF
Best Greece result: 2nd (2013)
When Dani Sordo reached the end of Rally Italy Sardinia, securing another podium finish in the process, he wasn’t sure whether or not he had driven his final WRC event. In the end, Hyundai has decided to take him to Greece in its third car, and it’s no surprise really.
Remarkably, considering the event went missing from the WRC schedule for seven years, this will be the veteran Spaniard’s 10th Acropolis start. In addition to finishing second in 2013, he’s come fourth, third and third again in the three editions since 2021. This is exactly the type of event on which Sordo has been so valuable for his team over recent seasons.
He will start seventh on the road on Friday, and if it’s dry, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him right in the mix for the top positions. Whether he can finish there might be a different story, especially if his championship-challenging team-mates are also well-placed and he has to move aside for them.
#13 Grégoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 49th-9th-7th
Best Greece result: 12th (2023, 5th in WRC2)
After a solid run of three points-scoring finishes, Finland was tougher to Grégoire Munster, but he was far from alone in that fact – even if he did unfortunately miss out on almost a full Saturday of experience on classic Rally Finland roads by finding the trees on the first stage of the morning.
In Chile and Central Europe, Munster is approaching the first events that he drove at Rally1 level last year, but the Acropolis will be one more new experience for him. He does at least have a couple of WRC2 starts in Greece under his belt, including a decent run to fifth in the category behind more established names last year.
For that reason, he is looking forward to having a chance to show what he can do. A strong overall result would require a mostly clean run – something hard to achieve on such a tough rally without much experience. But it could be the kind of terrain that gives him a chance of posting the eye-catching stage times he’s hoping to manage through the last part of the season.
#19 Jourdan Serderidis/Frédéric Miclotte (Ford Puma Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 9th-25th-17th
Best Greece result: 17th (2023)
Greek national Serderidis returns to drive a third Ford Puma Rally1 on his home rally – a year after he had seemingly retired from appearing at the top level of the sport.
Seemingly unable to shake the bug, the charismatic 60-year-old has already been seen behind the wheel of his Puma in Kenya this year, and has been keeping himself relatively rally-sharp with other assorted events in Rally2 machinery.
He finished inside the top 10 on the Safari, but past form suggests that he will be unlikely to reach such heights against the deeper fields seen on the Acropolis, having placed 17th last year. Overall results are never the goal for Serderidis though – it’s all about enjoyment.
