The victory at the Acropolis Rally also marked the end of Toyota’s six-event winning streak this year. Tänak took home a major haul from the iconic rally, collecting four points from Super Sunday in addition to his win points.
However, there was a scare on the final stage when Tänak’s car developed a technical issue. As a result, he only managed fifth-fastest time on the Power Stage, 16 seconds off the pace. For the victory to become official, Tänak still needed to drive the car from the end of the stage back to the service park.
“I have a gearbox failure, need to drive to get through,” Tänak said briefly.
Tänak’s win came by a margin of 32.8 seconds over Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier. The Frenchman had already lost nearly 20 seconds to Tänak on Friday, and the Estonian sealed the deal on Saturday morning. Ogier has now entered five rallies this season, winning three and finishing second in the other two.
“You’re kidding? Has something happened to Ott? We had a super strong weekend, not much we can do to Ott, he was really flying. We can be proud of our race, there was not more we could do,” Ogier said at the finish of the final stage after hearing about Tänak’s time loss.
Adrien Fourmaux of Hyundai secured third place – an excellent result for the Frenchman after a difficult run. His last podium finish was at the season opener in Monte Carlo. Championship leader Elfyn Evans finished fourth.
“It’s been a good weekend, I’m pleased with what we have done. There was a funeral of my friend on Friday, so this podium is for him. Good to be back on the podium,” Fourmaux summarised.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville ended a painful weekend in fifth place. After a dominant showing in WRC2, Oliver Solberg claimed sixth overall, ahead of Gus Greensmith and Yohan Rossel.
In the Super Sunday results, Ogier topped the classification ahead of Tänak and Evans. Ogier also won the Power Stage, followed by Kalle Rovanperä. For the Finnish driver, his only points from the event came from his second place on the final stage.
“I tried my best. Big thanks to Taka for giving us one position today. Big disappointment this weekend, not the level I should be on. Sorry to the team, I will work on it for Estonia,” Rovanperä said.
Evans’ lead in the championship has now shrunk to just nine points ahead of Ogier, who will skip the next round in Estonia. Tänak climbed to third place, just 12 points adrift. Rovanperä sits fourth, 30 points behind Evans.
The WRC season continues in July with Rally Estonia, followed by Rally Finland.
Acropolis Rally final results:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
| 1. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | 4:12:20.1 |
| 2. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +32.8 |
| 3. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +3:09.8 |
| 4. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +3:31.1 |
| 5. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +6:09.5 |
| 6. | Oliver Solberg | Toyota | +10:34.7 |
| 7. | Gus Greensmith | Skoda | +11:28.5 |
| 8. | Yohan Rossel | Citroen | +11:43.7 |
| 9. | Kajetan Kajetanowicz | Toyota | +12:56.7 |
Super Sunday results:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
| 1. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | 1:15:37.6 |
| 2. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +10.8 |
| 3. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +37.5 |
| 4. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +1:12.6 |
| 5. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +2:02.6 |
Acropolis Rally Itinerary (CET):
Thursday 26 June
07.01 Shakedown: Lygaria (3.62 km)
17.05 SS1: EKO Athens (1.50 km)
Friday 27 June
06.28 SS2: Aghii Theodori 1 (26.76 km)
07.31 SS3: Loutraki (12.90 km)
09.28 SS4: Aghii Theodori 2 (26.76 km)
10.46 Remote service 20 min
13.29 SS5: Thiva (19.58 km)
15.50 SS6: Stiri (24.18 km)
18.31 SS7: Elatia (11.58 km)
Saturday 28 June
07.22 SS8: Pavliani 1 (24.58 km)
09.05 SS9: Karoutes 1 (19.48 km)
10.32 SS10: Inohori 1 (17.66 km)
12.32 Service 45 min
14.22 SS11: Pavliani 2 (24.58 km)
16.05 SS12: Karoutes 2 (19.48 km)
17.32 SS13: Inohori 2 (17.66 km)
Sunday 29 June
07.03 SS14: Smokovo 1 (26.16 km)
08.05 SS15: Tarzan 1 (23.37 km)
10.09 Service 15 min
11.32 SS16: Smokovo 2 (26.16 km)
13.15 SS17: Tarzan 2 (23.37 km) *Power Stage
