Sebastien Ogier’s Acropolis Rally Greece advantage is only one second, but the timing of it matters. The Toyota driver heads into Friday’s first full gravel leg with the road already turning from showpiece to stress test.
Ogier was fastest on Thursday night’s opening Athens super special, edging team-mate Takamoto Katsuta by one second after the rally began on a side-by-side asphalt test at Ellinikon. Toyota confirmed Sami Pajari and Oliver Solberg matched times in joint fourth, with championship leader Elfyn Evans sixth after SS1.
Why Friday Changes The Rally
The official WRC itinerary lists six Friday stages, beginning with the 22.97km Bauxites test and followed by Parnassos Mt, Stiri, Elikon Mt, Stiri again and Thiva. WRC’s own preview of the day puts that competitive distance at 129.22km, the longest leg of the rally.
That is the real value of Ogier’s start. The lead is too small to manage, but it puts him at the centre of Toyota’s early control while Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, third after the opener, is already forced to chase on terrain where punctures, dust and heat can turn seconds into minutes.
Read Motorsport covered Ogier’s Athens opener as the rally launched. Friday now decides whether that launch becomes a genuine Acropolis platform or another short-lived super special headline.
