Ogier didn’t let his second position on the road slow him down on the gravel and set the fastest time. He beat Pajari, who came second, by 0.7 seconds.
With that, Ogier took the lead in the demanding Acropolis Rally.
“I was on the limit of the grip I had. The road is cleaning a lot. The dust is a little bit hanging on the air,” Ogier reported at the finish of the nearly 27-kilometre Aghii Theodori stage.
Pajari challenged for the stage win throughout, but Ogier found more speed near the end.
“Didn’t feel very good on the stage, but I think it was tough for everyone. We just tried to go safe,” Pajari said.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville finished third on the stage, 1.1 seconds behind Ogier. In the overall standings, the defending champion Neuville sits second, 2.2 seconds off Ogier. Behind him is Pajari, 3.7 seconds adrift.
Following Pajari are Hyundai’s Ott Tänak (+6.7) and Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä (+10.0). Rovanperä lost 8.5 seconds to Ogier on the Friday opener.
“I had a lot of hanging dust in places. Not the best run, but not too bad. I should be more committed to the fast parts,” said Rovanperä.
The top class saw drama right away, as Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta suffered a puncture early in the stage and had to stop for a tyre change. Katsuta, who lost around two minutes, was visibly frustrated at the finish and unable to give an interview.
M-Sport Ford drivers Josh McErlean and Martins Sesks also encountered punctures on the Aghii Theodori stage, just like Katsuta.
The Acropolis Rally will continue with five more stages on Friday. The event concludes on Sunday.
Acropolis Rally standings after SS2/17:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
| 1. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | 20:18.2 |
| 2. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +2.2 |
| 3. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +3.7 |
| 4. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +6.7 |
| 5. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +10.0 |
| 6. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +11.3 |
| 7. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +18.9 |
| 8. | Oliver Solberg | Toyota | +31.7 |
| 9. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +35.7 |
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)
