Thierry Neuville seized the Acropolis Rally lead after a roller‑coaster morning that saw multiple punctures on the gravel circuit.
Neuville Claims Morning Lead Amid Tyre Catastrophe
Late Friday, the 2024 World Champion trotted back from the first loop only 11.0 seconds ahead of Sebastien Ogier. A front-right blowout at the start of Stage 3 and a late puncture at Stiri forced four‑star driver Adrien Fourmaux to relinquish the header spot.
“If I had begun with fresh tyres, it might have been cleaner,” Neuville reflected. “The surface is excruciatingly rough.”
Fourmaux’s Brief Ascent Interrupted by Front‑Right Puncture
Shortly after taking the first stage win by a single tenth, Fourmaux used smooth braking to overtake Neuville by 1.9 seconds. The stoppage on Stiri’s test stage cost him 31.4 seconds, tumbling him from first down to fourth.
That loss proved decisive, handing the rhythm to Neuville as the rally progressed toward day break.
Armstrong Capitalises On Road Position, Joins Top Three
Jon Armstrong’s performance emerged as a headline. The Northern Irishman enjoyed a clean run on Parnassos Mt, matching Neuville’s time on Stiri to secure a third overall spot, a full 7.1 seconds behind Ogier.
Armstrong core values “clean handling and traction,” noting that the rough stages demanded focus on balance and drifting control.
Ogier Struggles With Delaminations on Rough Terrain
Ogier, who had overtaken Neuville after Thursday’s super special win, lost momentum early on Friday due to rock impacts and tyre delaminations. Updated hard compound Hankook tyres were issued for the weekend yet still presented a “lottery” of failure.
“The tyres are not ready for this condition,” Ogier sighed, underlining how unpredictable gravel can be.
Mixed Results From M‑Sport and Toyota Teams
M‑Sport’s Ford Puma crews, including Josh McErlean and Martins Sesks, persevered through the morning, retaining positions within the top six. McErlean sat fifth, 36.8 seconds behind the lead, while Sesks landed sixth.
Toyota followed with Sami Pajari seventh after a power loss on Stiri and Takamoto Katsuta an eighth‑place arrival after a rear‑right delamination. Toyota’s Elfyn Evans, starting at the pre‑service, fell ninth after battling a heavily swept road with sharp uphill hairpins.
Evans’ teammate Oliver Solberg abandoned the lead for a front‑left puncture, dropping him to 14th; Dani Sordo suffered a similar stoppage and lost two minutes on Stage 3. In WRC2, Andreas Mikkelsen edged Robert Virves by 1.5 seconds.
With the ridge readings still an uncertainty, the WRC’s battles grow ever sharper. The rally’s brutal terrain will continue to test tyre durability and driver resilience alike as the championship moves forward.
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