Tanak closes on WRC Acropolis Rally win after dominant Saturday

Ott Tanak is just a day away from delivering Hyundai Motorsport its first victory of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship season after a commanding Saturday in the dust and scorching heat of Acropolis Rally Greece.

The Estonian (above) began the day with a slender 3.0s advantage over teammate Adrien Fourmaux, but blew the field apart in the searing temperatures of central Greece. He claimed five stage wins out of six, only missing out on a sweep by 0.1s, to establish a 43.6s buffer over Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier heading into Sunday’s four-stage finale.

With temperatures rising to triple digits and the rough gravel roads rapidly deteriorating, Tanak kept it tidy aboard his i20 N Rally1 while others hit trouble. The 2019 WRC champ is now perfectly placed to take his first win since the Central European Rally last October – and potentially climb to second in the WRC points, depending on how Sunday unfolds.

“It’s great for us,” said Tanak. “Extremely demanding and very tough stages. But we had a good road position and the car was improving over the course of the day.”

Behind him, Ogier focused on consistency rather than chasing stage wins in his GR Yaris Rally1. The eight-time WRC champ edged Tanak by that scant 0.1s margin in the morning’s final stage, 10.97-mile Inohori 1, but chose not to take unnecessary risks elsewhere.

“It would be nice to push,” he admitted, “but the key here is staying out of trouble.”

Second-placed Sebastien Ogier chose risk management over heroics, but still grabbed a stage win in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. Toyota Gazoo Racing photo

Trouble is exactly what befell Fourmaux. The Frenchman had held second until an impact with a rock in Inohori 1 damaged the rear suspension of his i20 N Rally1. He dropped over a minute and later reached the end of the following stage with a tire off the rim. But despite the drama, he clung on to third overnight, 1m24.4s adrift of Tanak.

WRC points leader Elfyn Evans remained a distant fourth after a steady but unspectacular day in his GR Yaris. The Welshman repeatedly described the conditions as “very rough” and ended the leg more than three minutes off the lead – but with reigning WRC champ Thierry Neuville only one place behind in his Hyundai and looking to re-ignite his title defense, Sunday’s bonus-point opportunities remain critical.

Further back, the Acropolis continued to punish the leading runners. Kalle Rovanpera, a two-time Acropolis winner, was running eighth overall before losing his brakes and going off in the afternoon’s opening stage, 15.27-mile Pavliani 2, while fifth-placed Takamoto Katsuta also went off and became beached in the same test. Both Toyota drivers retired for the day.

It was another bruising leg for Neuville, too. After losing time to a puncture in the morning, the Belgian fought back into fifth overall – though still more than a minute behind Evans.

“We had the pace,” Neuville reflected. “But three punctures [this weekend] didn’t allow us to do what we can.”

Gregoire Munster, best of the M-Sport Ford entries, completed the leg sixth despite struggling with a faulty e-brake – a key help in efficient cornering – on his Puma Rally1 throughout the day.

M-Sport Ford’s Gregoire Munster completed the overall top six, despite struggling with a faulty e-brake.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 driver Oliver Solberg continued to lead with a comfortable buffer over Gus Greensmith’s Skoda Fabian RS, Kajetan Kajetanowicz’s Toyota and the Citroen C3 of current points leader Yohan Rossel.

After a scintillating Friday run, Solberg dialed it back just a little for Saturday – a relative term as the Swede racked up fastest class times in three of the day’s six stages – but still holds a 1m37.8s lead over Greensmith and sits an impressive seventh overall.

After completing the day’s final stage, Rossel stated his aim to grab second in class with a Sunday attack. The fired-up Frenchman would need to gain 25.1s on Greensmith to make that a reality, but with his WRC2 points lead on the line, watch this space…

Oliver Solberg dialed it back just a little in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, but still dominates the WRC2 class. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Sunday’s final leg features four more rough, tough gravel stages, including the iconic 14.52-mile Tarzan test as the rally-ending Wolf Power Stage, where crucial bonus points will be on the line.

WRC Acropolis Rally Greece, positions after Saturday/Leg Two, SS13
1 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 2h56m31.7s
2 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +43.6s 
3 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m08.0s
4 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +3m04.4s
5 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +4m17.7s
6 Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) +5m55.0ss
7 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2 leader) +6m56.7s
8 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andersson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +8m34.5s
9 Kajetan Kajetanowicz/Maciej Szczepaniak (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +8m44.5s
10 Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand (Citroen C3 – WRC2) +8m59.6s 

• Watch the rally-closing, bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage action from Acropolis Rally Greece LIVE on the RACER+ App and RACER.com on Sunday, June 29 at 6:00-7:30am ET, with same-day airings on the RACER Network at 11:00am and 10:00pm, plus Monday, June 30 at 1:00am ET. 

• Plus, for a deeper dive into the FIA World Rally Championship, check out the WRC Magazine Show on RACER Network. Catch the latest episode on Sunday, June 29 (9:30pm ET) and Monday, June 30 (12:30am ET).  
• And the 2025 WRC action continues on RACER+ and the RACER Network. There’s LIVE Wolf Power Stage coverage from all remaining rallies on the RACER+ App and same-day airings on the RACER Network. You can find out more about the RACER+ App at racerplus.com.