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WRC Expert Opinion: Expect the unexpected at Acropolis Rally Greece
A blend of searing heat and punishing gravel roads make Acropolis Rally Greece one of the hardest World Rally Championship events to master.
The world’s best drivers are poised to tackle 17 stages in temperatures that will be close to 40 degrees ambient, and nearly twice that inside the cockpit of the cars.
Toyota remains the team to beat as it extended its 100% winning start to 2025 after Sebastien Ogier denied Hyundai’s Ott Tanak for the second round in succession in Sardinia last month.
Another victory for Toyota in Brece this weekend would not only extend its winning streak to seven events this year, but it would bring up a century of WRC wins for the manufacturer. Hyundai is however desperate to end this winning run and will be hoping to repeat the 1-2-3 podium lock out it achieved in Greece last year.
DAZN spoke to legendary WRC television commentator Becs Williams for an expert opinion on the form book heading into round seven.
The Acropolis Rally Greece is an event where anything can happen and it can can catch out the very best, so what can we expect this weekend?
“Expect the unexpected plus some, I would think for this rally. The heat is intense this year and I don’t know how many Acropolis rallies I have covered over the years but I have never felt heat like it. The heat is going to be a massive factor and the heat inside these cars will be nothing comparable to anything that has gone before.
"We don’t have really any short stages here, so I think the heat is going to be a massive role in terms of wiping the energy out of people, but also it will affect the cars themselves.
"From what I can gather from the engineers I have spoken too, it is not as rough as it has been in recent years and some of the roads have been graded by the organisers, but you will never quite know how it will play out. It is still rough and although its not the roughest ever, that and the heat is going to be crippling.
“It is a marathon not a sprint where you are here. If you reach the end of Friday then it is always a bonus and you can get a good result by clinging on for dear life pretty much and making it through the weekend.”
Hyundai have been getting closer to a victory in recent rounds and they locked out the podium here last year and in 2022, so can they stop Toyota?
“We said at the last event that now is the time for Hyundai get the first win of the year and that win still hasn’t come, and it has been a Toyota domination in terms of wins. I just don’t think you can look past Toyota right now especially the way the drivers are performing and the reliability of that car. It has to be a Hyundai win here but I honestly can’t see it being Hyundai on the top step of the podium this weekend.
“There has been a switch around in road position between the Toyota drivers with Sebastien Ogier moving ahead of Kalle Rovanpera and Hyundai has the benefit of better road position, but are Hyundai going to capitalise on it? I don’t think anyone will put any money on that right now at the moment.
“The Acropolis Rally has been about Ford and it’s incredible record of 13 wins but if Toyota do pull this off not only will it be another win in a row it will be that remarkable achievement of 100 WRC wins.”
Who is best placed to claim the victory?
“Although Sebastien Ogier is starting second on the road, you can’t really not back him at the moment. What a season he has had so far!
“I know he’s not going to be competing in the next round in Estonia but he could win this one and still be in a greet position in the championship even though he will miss some rounds this year. Seb is on good form right now and you can’t look past him.
“I think he has handled himself in a really mature way this year. He is managing everything so brilliantly and I think a lot of people would pay a good amount of money to find out how he is doing this. He seems to be the coolest of the cool out there right now.”
Do Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanpera have a chance of challenging for the win?
“It is going to be massively difficult for championship leader Elfyn Evans and it will be a little bit easier for Kalle Rovanpera, with a slightly better road position, being third on the road. I think Elfyn has suffered more than we thought he would in regards to being first on the road but it is hard to pinpoint the reason with Elfyn. The fact that this is a slower rally and nowhere near as quick as Sardinia, I think might help him. It is still however going to be punishing but Elfyn has to hang on and hope for a result like he did in Sardinia.”
M-Sport-Ford is the most successful team at this event with eight wins, so can they pull off a strong result?
“A strong result is not out of the question for M-Sport-Ford. For the drivers, Martins Sesks, Josh McErlean and Gregoire Munster they have to make it through Friday, that is critical for them this weekend. Martins has a brand new car for this weekend so it is not the same one he crashed in Sardinia.
“If the trio can get through Friday they could be on for a good result because this is a rally of attrition. There will be punishing stages and punishing heat and we are not sure how that will affect the cars. I think all the drivers have a massive challenge of not only getting through the stages but making sure they complete the stage well from a fitness point of view. if you are not at the peak from a fitness perspective, you will suffer this weekend. Keeping yourself together inside the car with this heat is going to be one of the key factors on Friday.”
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