How Neuville triumphed over Ogier in the Acropolis Rally mind games battle

Greece's round of the World Rally Championship lived up to its reputation as a car-wrecker, as Hyundai claimed a surprise podium lockout following Sebastien Ogier's late drama. The Toyota driver's final stage roll could have a decisive impact on the drivers' championship race too, as Thierry Neuville now enjoys a clear buffer with three rounds left

Thierry Neuville's 21st World Rally Championship win could prove to be the most important of his career. It certainly felt that way after one of the most demanding recent editions of the Acropolis Rally.

When Neuville pulled into the Lamia service park and clambered out of his Hyundai i20 N for the final time on Sunday, he let out a roar that turned heads. This appeared to be no ordinary celebration in front of rival crews and the waiting media. It was difficult to ignore, much like this year’s Acropolis Rally that lived up to its ‘European Safari’ moniker to produce one of the WRC’s most drama-filled rallies both on and away from the stages.

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Tom Howard

WRC

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Author Tom Howard

Tom Howard is a News Editor working across both Autosport.com and Motorsport.com websites. Starting out as a sports reporter in local newspapers, Tom focussed on motorsport covering several national championships in the UK, including the BTCC.

After a period working as a freelance journalist, Tom moved to Australia in 2013 landing a job at leading Australian motorsport news outlet speedcafe.com, covering international motorsport events including F1, WRC and Supercars. Progressing to Editor in 2017, Tom was named Motorsport Australia Journalist of the Year for his work. He is also a two-time winner of Supercars Journalist of The Year (2017,2019) and a Supercars Championship Media Award winner in 2019.

Tom moved back to his native UK in 2020, firstly working in BTCC, before joining Autosport and motorsport.com in 2021.