The competition ended with a Hyundai 1-2-3 finish, with Thierry Neuville taking the win, Dani Sordo finishing second, and Ott Tänak third. Hyundai’s sweep was sealed on the final special stage when Sebastien Ogier rolled his Toyota. Ogier managed to limp to the finish but fell far down the order.
Of the main category drivers, only the Hyundai trio and Ogier managed to reach the finish without retiring. The gruelling gravel rally was a real disaster for Toyota, with both Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta retiring once over the weekend.
Journalists Toni Heinonen, Aki Hietavala, and Ville Hirvonen from RallyJournal.com have graded each main category driver’s performance using school grades, where 10 is the highest and 4 is the lowest.
Toni Heinonen
Thierry Neuville 10- (position: 1st)
Let’s admit right from the start that Neuville wasn’t the fastest driver in the rally. But the Belgian did exactly what a champion – or a future champion – should do in such a tough gravel event. Neuville adapted to the conditions and, in particular, to his first starting position on Friday. He stayed in the fight, and when others ran into trouble, the Belgian took advantage, rising steadily towards the lead. The Hyundai star followed the one simple rule that every driver should follow at the Acropolis Rally: stay out of trouble, and a good result is guaranteed.
Dani Sordo 9+ (position: 2nd)
There’s no denying that Sordo is an incredible guy! Even I have suggested that the Spaniard should retire, but once again, Sordo proved his worth. A brilliant second place, almost a flawless weekend, and extremely valuable points for Hyundai in the manufacturers’ championship battle. Hyundai is currently considering putting a full-time driver in the third car for next season. Maybe it would be wiser to stick with the current shared third car strategy, just to keep Sordo going!
Ott Tänak 9- (position: 3rd)
The Estonian delivered a great performance overall, but two punctures on the same stage on Saturday morning were too much. Nevertheless, Tänak kept a good pace and ultimately ensured a big haul of points for Hyundai. Tänak remains in the fight for the drivers’ championship against his teammate Neuville, but now he needs to push hard and also hope for some help from Neuville’s side.
Sebastien Ogier 7- (position: 16th)
The Frenchman made his first major mistake of the season when he rolled his car on the Power Stage. Valuable points were lost for both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships. On Friday, it seemed that Ogier was on his way to a fourth win of the season in Greece, but fate intervened in the form of turbo problems. A good result ultimately turned into a small setback, but it’s his only blemish this season.
Elfyn Evans 5½ (position: 18th)
Once again, there were no moments of joy for Evans over the race weekend. It started with turbo problems, and then he rolled the car. Well, he at least salvaged some consolation points from Super Sunday. But in all honesty, Evans has been one of this season’s biggest flops. He was supposed to be Toyota’s leading driver in the championship battle, but now he is out of the running. Earlier in the season, he delivered consistent performances and was a regular face on the podium, but since the Latvian round in July, there have been plenty of problems and a lack of speed. It looks like the championship may remain a distant dream for Evans.
Adrien Fourmaux 6 (position: 21st)
Started the rally promisingly again, but then it went wrong. Fourmaux had every chance to fight for a top result with the Ford Puma, but there was just a bit too much enthusiasm. However, there was some good in his weekend: the Frenchman took first place on the Power Stage and was second-fastest on Super Sunday, earning him 11 points. Fourmaux still has every chance to challenge Evans for fourth place in the championship.
Takamoto Katsuta 5 (position: 30th)
This was another typical Katsuta story. Blistering speed at the start and in the fight for the lead, but then things went badly wrong due to a mistake. There have been far too many of these for Katsuta lately. It’s time for team boss Jari-Matti Latvala to sit the Japanese driver down and share his deep experience on what needs to be done. We know Katsuta has speed, but his margin for error is far too wide.
Grégoire Munster 4½ (retirement)
If Katsuta’s story was typical, Munster’s rally had a familiar pattern as well. The pace is still far too slow compared to the front-runners, although there are occasional glimpses of improvement. Munster had every chance to achieve his career-best result in this rally if he had managed to have a relatively clean weekend. But on Saturday, he crashed, and that was that. The race was over for him, and he scored zero points. If there’s one thing that sums up Munster’s season well, it’s this curious statistic: Munster has competed in ten WRC rounds this season in a Ford Rally1 car and has scored a total of 23 points. Meanwhile, Sami Pajari, who has competed in one Rally1 event and eight rallies with a Toyota Rally2 car, has accumulated 34 points this season – 11 more than Munster.
Aki Hietavala
Thierry Neuville 9½
Neuville has made the most of his opportunities in the WRC this season. Consistently solid performances with plenty of points in every rally. In Greece, he played it safe, and his tactics paid off. A win in the rally and a good haul of points from Sunday as well. His first world championship is now just one step away.
Dani Sordo 9
Sordo delivered again with factory-level assurance. Steady driving and another podium finish. Sordo has been delivering consistently in his role as the third driver in recent years. A puncture on Saturday took away his chance of a win, but no matter.
Ott Tänak 8+
Good work from Tänak. He was still leading after Friday, but a double puncture on Saturday morning ruined his chances of victory. Meanwhile, teammate Neuville pulled further ahead in the championship battle. Tänak ensured Hyundai’s 1-2-3 finish on Sunday.
Sebastien Ogier 8
Why give a good grade to a guy who crashed on the last stage? Well, Ogier once again showed his fighting spirit. He was the fastest driver in the rally, but Friday’s turbo problem took away much of his chance. After that, he had to go all-in, but this time it wasn’t rewarded.
Elfyn Evans 5
A terrible season for the Welshman. This was a dream opportunity to win his first championship, but it wasn’t to be. He couldn’t do anything about Friday’s turbo failure, but Saturday’s roll might have been avoidable. The pace was missing all weekend. It’s becoming a struggle.
Adrien Fourmaux 7
The rally was ruined right away on Friday, but he earned a handsome haul of points on Sunday. Second fastest on Sunday and a win on the Power Stage. Fourmaux has undoubtedly raised himself to a top level this year. He seems to perform well in every race.
Takamoto Katsuta 5
If Evans’ season has been tough, Katsuta’s year has been even worse. Another retirement after damaging his car’s suspension on Friday. The Japanese driver is in a tough spot. From Toyota’s perspective, it’s unfortunate because he has been of no use in the manufacturers’ championship battle.
Gregoire Munster 4
The same pattern all season. No real speed, except for a few brief glimpses. In Greece, he could have had a great result due to other retirements, but it wasn’t to be. He got stuck in a ditch on Saturday, and that was that. The fifth retirement of the season. Even Sami Pajari has scored more points than Munster this year.
Ville Hirvonen
Thierry Neuville 10
Neuville did almost perfect work in Greece. The Belgian kept his composure at the start of the rally and drove cautiously enough not to damage his car. He kept himself in a good position throughout the competition and then moved into the lead when the opportunity arose. Neuville took his second win of the season and made a strong move towards his first world championship. It came with smart and masterful driving, although the Belgian was lucky to avoid all possible problems.
Dani Sordo 8
The veteran scored good points for his team. It required quite a bit of luck for him to finish second, but the Spaniard managed his speed well enough not to make any major mistakes. A puncture on Saturday removed his chance of fighting for the win, but otherwise, he delivered a solid performance as the third driver.
Ott Tänak 7
Not a good performance, but not a terrible one either from the Estonian. Tänak showed good speed at times but also made mistakes. He took full responsibility for the first puncture on Saturday. The second one was beyond his control when a rock sat in the middle of his line. Overall, the Estonian’s season has been a significant disappointment. Tänak is now becoming Hyundai’s pawn, with the sole task of helping teammate Neuville to his first championship. That wasn’t how the pre-season plan was supposed to go.
Sebastien Ogier 6
The Frenchman tried to score as many points as possible on Sunday, but he made a costly driving error at the start of the last stage, ruining his rally. Ogier could do nothing about Friday’s turbo issue, but Sunday’s crash could have been avoided. That brings his grade down considerably. Now it will be very interesting to see what Ogier decides to do next. Will his mind change about competing for the rest of the season now that the championship battle has taken a dramatic turn in favour of Thierry Neuville?
Elfyn Evans 5
Evans finally ruined even the smallest theoretical chances of winning the world championship in Greece. The rally went off the rails on Friday, and Evans rolled his car due to a driving mistake on Saturday as well. It’s hard to see Evans securing a seat with Toyota next season. It’s time for the younger generation to step up.
Adrien Fourmaux 7
The Frenchman has driven a very steady and consistent season so far, but now he made a mistake. As a result, the Ford driver was out of contention on Friday after hitting a rock. The mistake was not major, but enough. He made up for it nicely on Sunday, being the second-fastest driver on Super Sunday and securing good points for his team.
Takamoto Katsuta 5
The Toyota driver’s struggles continued in Greece. He made a driving error on Friday and ruined his rally from the start. The Japanese driver also struggled on Sunday and couldn’t perform at his best. At the end of the final stage, he expressed his hope to do better in the future. The season-long pain was visible on the Japanese driver’s face.
Gregoire Munster 4
The speed wasn’t there again. He was occasionally even struggling against the WRC2 drivers, which tells you everything you need to know. Eventually, he made a critical driving mistake and had to retire. There’s no point in kicking a man when he’s down, so let’s leave it at that this time.
