Tänak Triumphs at 2025 Acropolis Rally to Reignite WRC Title Chase
Ott Tänak roared back into FIA World Rally Championship contention with a dramatic win at the 2025 EKO Acropolis Rally Greece (20–23 June), surviving a late gearbox scare to deliver Hyundai’s first victory of the season and end Toyota’s 2025 unbeaten streak.
The Estonian, co-driven by Martin Järveoja, was untouchable across the brutal Greek gravel stages. Despite third-gear issues during the rally-ending Wolf Power Stage, Tänak had already built a strong lead and held on for a 32.8-second win over Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier.
“I was very worried to be honest. The whole gearbox got noisy, and we didn’t have much confidence that we’d finish the stage. It was far too much stress to win a rally.”
Tänak admitted
The victory, his first in more than eight months, boosts Tänak to third in the championship standings with 138 points—just 12 points behind leader Elfyn Evans, and two shy of second-placed Ogier.
Top 5 – Acropolis Rally Greece 2025
- Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja (Hyundai) – 4h 12m 20.1s
- Sébastien Ogier / Vincent Landais (Toyota) – +32.8s
- Adrien Fourmaux / Alexandre Coria (Hyundai) – +3m 09.8s
- Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin (Toyota) – +3m 31.1s
- Thierry Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai) – +8m 59.5s
Strong Weekend for Hyundai
Tänak’s success was supported by Adrien Fourmaux, who bounced back from Saturday suspension damage to finish third, marking his second WRC career podium. Meanwhile, Thierry Neuville salvaged fifth despite a weekend plagued by punctures, a shock absorber failure, and unexplained mechanical gremlins.
Hyundai’s 1-3 finish delivered a timely morale boost for the Korean squad and halted Toyota’s six-rally win streak.
Toyota Hold On to Points Lead
Ogier continued his phenomenal 2025 form, grabbing his fifth podium in as many starts and snatching the Wolf Power Stage win. Evans, hampered by opening the road on Friday, finished fourth—earning valuable points to keep him in the lead with 150 points.
However, with Ogier set to miss the next round and Tänak heading to his home rally in Estonia, the title battle is heating up fast.
WRC2 and the Rest of the Field
M-Sport’s Grégoire Munster retired due to a technical issue, promoting Oliver Solberg to sixth overall and WRC2 winner. He led a group of Rally2 finishers including Gus Greensmith, Yohan Rossel, Kajetan Kajetanowicz, and Alejandro Cachón rounding out the top 10.
Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä and Takamoto Katsuta returned under restart rules after Saturday exits but were unable to challenge for points.
Championship Standings After Round 7 (of 14):
- Elfyn Evans – 150 pts
- Sébastien Ogier – 141 pts
- Ott Tänak – 138 pts
Next Stop: Rally Estonia (17–20 July)
The WRC heads north to Estonia, where Tänak will look to continue his title charge on home soil. With high-speed stages and massive local support, Round 8 promises fireworks in one of the season’s fastest events.
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