THIERRY NEUVILLE FINISHES SECOND AFTER LATE DRAMA AT ACROPOLIS RALLY 2026
THIERRY NEUVILLE FINISHES SECOND AFTER LATE ACROPOLIS RALLY HEARTBREAK
Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe secured second place at Acropolis Rally 2026 after a dramatic final day denied them victory in the eighth round of the FIA World Rally Championship.
Neuville started Sunday leading the rally but struggled for grip on the sandy Greek stages. He lost the lead on the opening test before responding with a shared stage victory alongside Sébastien Ogier, leaving just 1.3 seconds between the two crews before the final service.
The decisive moment came on the penultimate stage. Neuville suffered rear wheel damage that caused a slow puncture early in the test but managed to maintain competitive pace. His hopes of victory ended when a second rear puncture delaminated with around eight kilometres remaining, forcing him to surrender valuable time.
Despite the setback, Neuville finished third fastest on the Power Stage and collected two additional Super Sunday bonus points, leaving Greece with 22 championship points.
Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria also experienced a frustrating conclusion to a promising weekend. After claiming the opening stage win on Sunday—their fifth fastest time of the rally—a puncture on SS15 cost more than two minutes and ended their fight for a podium finish.
The French crew recovered with another strong stage performance and entered the Power Stage just one tenth of a second behind Sami Pajari. However, another puncture on the final test dropped them to sixth overall despite showing competitive pace throughout the weekend.
Meanwhile, Hyundai Motorsport's Spanish pairing Dani Sordo and Cándido Carrera struggled with an unstable rear end on Sunday. With no realistic opportunity to improve their position, the team chose to retire the crew before the Power Stage as a strategic decision ahead of the upcoming fast gravel rallies.
Although Hyundai did not secure victory, the team's overall performance highlighted improved competitiveness throughout the event. Hyundai crews led 12 of the rally's 17 stages and claimed nine stage victories before late setbacks reshaped the final classification.
The FIA World Rally Championship now moves on to Rally Estonia in three weeks.
KEY POINTS
• Thierry Neuville finished second after losing victory to late punctures.
• Neuville lost the lead during Sunday's opening stage.
• Two rear punctures on the penultimate stage ended his winning chances.
• Neuville scored 22 championship points, including bonus points.
• Adrien Fourmaux claimed five stage wins during the rally.
• Two punctures dropped Fourmaux from podium contention to sixth overall.
• Hyundai retired Dani Sordo before the Power Stage for strategic reasons.
• Hyundai crews led 12 of the rally's 17 stages.
• Hyundai secured nine stage victories during the weekend.
• Attention now turns to Rally Estonia.
Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Second podium finish of 2026 after Rally de Portugal victory
Belgians led from SS4 on Friday until Sunday morning’s SS14
Neuville said: “All in all, I have mixed feelings at the end of this rally. I’m obviously very disappointed not to be able to fight for the victory until the very end, but on the other hand I am very happy about our pace and the improvements we demonstrated this weekend. There are a lot of positives to take from Acropolis Rally, and we’ve also scored a solid haul of points. This gives us a good opportunity to get back into the championship fight, which was looking quite difficult for us. The fact that the championship leaders did not score many points is also good for us. With more gravel rallies to come, I hope we can carry this momentum forward.”
Crew Notes: Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (#16 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
French crew on the pace all weekend, fighting for the lead on Friday
Four punctures limited crew’s potential at Acropolis Rally
Fourmaux said: “I think we deserved much more from Acropolis Rally. While I know it is a lottery, it felt like whenever I pushed I avoided punctures, but whenever I tried to be careful, I would get one. It’s almost unbelievable. In the end, it’s a huge shame, but overall it has been a positive rally. We had the pace and were fighting for the win at the beginning before our issues. It’s frustrating for the championship, as I had high hopes of closing the gap in the points, and it hasn’t gone to plan. However, there is plenty for us to take into Estonia and beyond.”
Crew Notes: Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera (#6 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Spaniards were running fourth on Friday before suffering puncture on SS3
Team elected to retire the car from eighth place ahead of the Power Stage
Sordo said: “It has been a difficult rally for us. It started well, but the puncture on Friday took us out of the fight. We lost even more time with our second puncture on Saturday, and after that we were not confident with the tyres or the grip. In the end, we decided to retire the car before the Power Stage to give the team as much flexibility as possible for the two fast gravel events.”
Hyundai Motorsport WRC Sporting Director Andrew Wheatley said: “We came to Greece believing more was possible, but it just wasn't to be this weekend. It has proven to be as tough, if not tougher, than we expected. However, Acropolis Rally has been hugely encouraging for the team; our performance and reliability have been strong, and we'll be back fighting in Estonia. Sitting here today disappointed with second is, in itself, a positive thing – we’ve made a lot of progress since Japan. Now our target is to carry that forward to the next events.”
Final Overall Classification – Acropolis Rally
1 S. Ogier V. Landais Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 3:36:40.7
2 T. Neuville M. Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +58.3
3 T. Katsuta A. Johnston Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +3:04.8
4 J. McErlean E. Treacy Ford Puma Rally1 +4:55.5
5 S. Pajari M. Salminen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +5:02.2
6 A. Fourmaux A. Coria Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +5:08.7
7 E. Evans S. Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +5:54.9
8 M. Sesks R. Francis Ford Puma Rally1 +8:05.8
9 R. Virves J. Viilo Skoda Fabia RS +9:50.1
10 A. Mikkelsen J. Listerud Skoda Fabia RS +10:52.5
Super Sunday Classification – Acropolis Rally
1 S. Ogier 56:17.9
2 S. Pajari +28.0
3 T. Katsuta +51.9
4 T. Neuville +1:02.4
5 O. Solberg +1:09.9
2026 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
After round 8
1 Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team 416
2 Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team 276
3 Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team 2 126
4 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team 107
2026 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
After round 8
1 E. Evans 158
2 T. Katsuta 151
3 S. Ogier 125
4 S. Pajari 114
5 O. Solberg 103
6 A. Fourmaux 97
7 T. Neuville 95
8 E. Lappi 21
9 H. Paddon 21
10 Y. Rossel 20
Comments