SS16 WRC Greece 2026: Ogier Pulls Clear After Neuville Puncture

Sebastien Ogier significantly extended his lead on SS16 of WRC Greece 2026 after setting the fastest time on Aghii Theodori 2, while Thierry Neuville lost almost a minute with a puncture.

Ogier was 9.7 seconds quicker than Toyota team-mate Sami Pajari on the penultimate stage of the Acropolis Rally Greece. The victory fight then swung sharply when Neuville had to complete the final eight kilometres with a damaged tyre.

"We've still got a big job to finish," Ogier stressed.

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Neuville admitted his disappointment after losing the chance to fight Ogier all the way to the Power Stage. The Hyundai driver said the tyre issue appeared suddenly after an initial warning on a different side of the car.

"I was really unlucky. I don't know what happened. First I got a warning about a puncture on the left, and then suddenly the right rear tyre failed. It would have been nice to fight Sebastien all the way to the finish, but that's over now."

There was also drama behind Takamoto Katsuta, who remains third overall. Josh McErlean ran wide and became stuck on a bank for more than 30 seconds, but still kept fourth place ahead of Pajari.

Pajari now holds fifth by just 0.1 seconds over Adrien Fourmaux heading into the rally-ending Power Stage. With one stage remaining, Ogier leads Neuville by 54.8 seconds.