Hyundai Urges Thierry Neuville to Keep Pushing

Thierry Neuville has been urged by Hyundai to maintain a full attacking approach despite leading Acropolis Rally Greece heading into Saturday.

Hyundai Sporting Director Andrew Wheatley said the team's performance on Friday matched expectations. Alongside Neuville's rally lead, Adrien Fourmaux remained in contention despite losing time earlier in the day because of a puncture.

"The performance has been exactly where we hoped it would be. If you look back 12 months, this is pretty much the same sort of fight we were having last year. Seb is really strong on these stages, but both Thierry and Adrien have been incredible," said Wheatley.

Baca JugaNeuville Balas Ogier, Duel Acropolis Makin Sengit

Wheatley believes Saturday's road order will give Neuville and Sebastien Ogier similarly favourable conditions. As a result, Hyundai does not want its drivers to become overly conservative while trying to protect their positions.

"Thierry and Adrien both have to push flat out. If you start trying to be too tactical, it can become really difficult because if your performance drops even a little, you lose a lot of time. Sometimes the safest way is to be flat out," he explained.

With six special stages remaining on Saturday, Hyundai expects the fight for victory to remain wide open. The narrow gap at the front means outright pace, combined with avoiding costly mistakes, is likely to determine the outcome before Sunday's final leg.