Thierry Neuville’s shot at a third Acropolis Rally Greece victory collapsed on Sunday morning after two rear tyre deflations handed Sebastien Ogier a decisive cushion before the Wolf Power Stage.
The Hyundai driver had already lost the rally lead to Ogier on Sunday’s opening stage, but the fight was still live. Neuville began the second pass of Aghii Theodori just 1.3 seconds behind the Toyota driver after they matched each other on SS15, Loutraki 1.
That tension disappeared on SS16. WRC confirmed that Neuville suffered damage to both rear tyres with around 10km remaining, dropping almost a minute to Ogier and falling 54.8 seconds behind before the final stage.
Acropolis rough edge bites again
The setback continued the theme of a brutal Acropolis weekend, with punctures and tyre management shaping the lead battle from Friday onward. Read Motorsport had already tracked how Neuville kept Ogier behind on Saturday, but the final morning reversed that picture sharply.
Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe had looked capable of forcing Ogier into a Power Stage shootout. Instead, the double deflation turned the closing kilometres into damage limitation for Hyundai, with Toyota suddenly holding the commanding road position.
The result is not formally settled until the Power Stage is complete, but the competitive shape of the rally has changed. Ogier now has the margin to manage risk, while Neuville needs late drama from elsewhere to rescue a win that had been within reach.
