Sebastien Ogier turns the tide at Acropolis Rally
It was a masterclass of patience and precision from Sebastien Ogier. The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver, paired with co-driver Vincent Landais, secured a flawless weekend in Greece, sweeping the rally, Super Sunday, and the Wolf Power Stage. This was victory number 69 in the WRC for the nine-time world champion, marking a return to the top step in Greece 15 years after his first triumph there.
Everything changed on the final day. After trailing Thierry Neuville since Friday, Ogier surged ahead by 1.3sec on the Aghii Theodori stage. A shared time on Loutraki 1 kept the pressure white-hot, but when Neuville suffered two rear punctures on the penultimate stage, the door swung wide open. Ogier took it in style, closing out the rally with a win on the final Power Stage despite a cautious drive.
For Ogier, who is running a partial season, this was an absolute necessity for his title hopes. "I knew that if it was not going our way this weekend, it would probably have been the end of the hope of fighting for the championship," he admitted. After a painful puncture in Portugal earlier this year, the Greek gods finally smiled on him, balancing the scales in a season that he openly described as a crucial turning point.
