Auto. WRC: Ott Tänak wins the Acropolis Rally ahead of Ogier and Fourmaux

Estonian Ott Tänak gave Hyundai its first victory of the season on Sunday at the Acropolis Rally (Greece), ending the dominance of Toyota, whose first driver, Frenchman Sébastien Ogier , finished second ahead of his compatriot Adrien Fourmaux, third.

Uncompromising on the tricky Greek roads, Tänak left no chance for the competition: "There wasn't much to do against Ott this weekend, he dominated" this seventh round of the year, Ogier admitted. In the lead of the rally since Friday afternoon, the 2019 world champion finished with a lead of more than 30 seconds over Ogier, despite a gearbox problem at the very end of the event.

"It was a great weekend," said the day's winner. "We did our best and managed to stay out of trouble." Hyundai had not won a WRC since the Central Europe Rally last October, won by Tänak. The first six rounds of the year have all been won by Toyota.

Behind the weekend's strong men, Adrien Fourmaux, another Hyundai driver, equaled his best performance in the premier rally category thanks to his third place.

Championship leader Elfyn Evans (Toyota) finished fourth on Sunday, ahead of reigning world champion Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) in fifth. "I did my best, but it's a disappointing weekend," Neuville said at the finish of the final stage, after suffering a series of punctures and mechanical problems with his Hyundai over the weekend.

Thanks to this commanding victory, Tänak takes third place in the championship from Finland's Kalle Rovanperä, only eighth among the drivers competing in the premier class. The two-time 2022-2023 world champion suffered a series of setbacks in Greece and notably had to retire for the rest of the day on Saturday afternoon, due to an off-road accident that damaged his Toyota.

Overall, Evans retains the lead in the general classification but is now only nine points ahead of his closest rival, Sébastien Ogier, a gap that has risen to 12 points with Tänak.