Neuville picked up a puncture on the nearly 27-kilometre Aghii Theodori stage, losing around 40 seconds. However, the time loss is still manageable in the context of the rally, as several other drivers also experienced punctures during the morning stages.
Neuville currently sits sixth overall, but the two Toyota drivers ahead of him – Sami Pajari and Kalle Rovanperä – are only a few seconds in front.
“It was a slow puncture seven kilometres before the finish. We took the decision to carry on which was a bit risky because the road was completely destroyed. Driving on a puncture for so long was tough, but somehow I adapted to the good rhythm, and we only lost the 39 seconds to the fastest,” Neuville explained.
“I was really happy at this stage not to lose more than that. You can see all the cars around have damaged tyres. It was very, very rough in there and a massive amount of stones. The rally isn’t over and that’s why we keep our hopes alive.”
Neuville’s teammate Ott Tänak is second in the standings, just 6.1 seconds behind rally leader Sébastien Ogier of Toyota. Tänak revealed that Hyundai had tested some new setup changes specifically for Greece – but the experiment hasn’t worked as hoped.
“Altogether, it’s been fine, no drama for us. I would say conditions are pretty much like we saw last year as well. Just a bit warmer this year. Otherwise, let’s say we tried a bit other direction for this rally with the balance, but it’s gone a bit worse. That’s not really optimal. But other than that, so far, so good,” Tänak said.
“It’s definitely a super demanding rally for the tyres, just stones everywhere and lots of bedrock coming out. For the rims and tyres, they have the most punishing job.”
Three more special stages remain on Friday at the Acropolis Rally. The event concludes on Sunday.
