Tänak set another fastest time on the 12th special stage of the event. On the second run through Karoutes, the Estonian was seven seconds quicker than the next fastest driver—his teammate Thierry Neuville.
Neuville, like several other top drivers, opted for two soft tyres for the afternoon loop due to rain in the mountains. Tänak, however, chose six hard tyres, which also helped minimise concerns about tyre wear.
“It was a bit on the edge whether it would rain more. But we made a good tire choice. I was in a good rhythm. The beginning was a little bit rough, but after that it was smooth,” Tänak said.
Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier, who is second overall, lost another 7.2 seconds to Tänak. The Frenchman now trails the Hyundai driver by 42.9 seconds.
“Just clean drive, not pushing. Try to stay out of trouble. It would be nice to push,” Ogier commented.
Adrien Fourmaux of Hyundai holds third place. The Frenchman damaged his car on the final stage of the morning loop, dropping over a minute behind Ogier.
“We took two soft tires because we expected it to rain. I am just trying to survive the loop with my tyre package,” Fourmaux summed up.
Toyota’s Elfyn Evans remains in fourth. The championship leader is just under a minute away from a podium place. Behind Evans, Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville trails by just over a minute.
“Pretty ok. Rough in some places. Trying not to do anything crazy. It’s difficult to judge in some places,” Evans said.
In sixth overall is M-Sport Ford’s Grégoire Munster, followed by Oliver Solberg, who has dominated the WRC2 class throughout the rally. In WRC2, British driver Gus Greensmith is second, ahead of Poland’s Kajetan Kajetanowicz.
One more stage remains on Saturday at the Acropolis Rally. The event concludes on Sunday.
Acropolis Rally standings after SS12/17:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
| 1. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | 2:42:31.7 |
| 2. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +42.9 |
| 3. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +1:58.5 |
| 4. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +2:55.8 |
| 5. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +4:15.0 |
| 6. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +5:13.1 |
| 7. | Oliver Solberg | Toyota | +6:37.4 |
| 8 | Gus Greensmith | Skoda | +7:47.0 |
| 9. | K. Kajetanowicz | Toyota | +7:54.9 |
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
