Preview: Round 8 – Acropolis Rally

Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team travels to Acropolis Rally (June 25–28) with an optimistic mindset, as the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) season enters its gravel-only second half. Having endured fluctuating performances so far, the team's drivers and engineers have worked hard behind the scenes in preparation for a return to roads where the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 has proven to be an effective package.

Seven consecutive gravel rallies will complete the 2026 campaign, beginning with Acropolis Rally in Greece - an event Hyundai Motorsport has won three times in the past four years, with Thierry Neuville tasting victory in 2022 and 2024. The team also secured dominant 1-2-3 finishes on both occasions. Having claimed a gravel win earlier this season, with Neuville emerging from the final-day drama in Portugal to claim his and Hyundai's first victory of 2026, the team is confident of another strong weekend on Greek gravel.
 
Now based in Loutraki, the 2026 edition of the Acropolis Rally spans 17 stages across 323.31km of competitive distance, taking competitors through some of rally's most iconic and punishing terrain. Extreme heat, razor-sharp rocks and unpredictable surfaces have always defined this event, but crews will also have brand-new routes to contend with this year. The team aims to replicate its past success with an emphatic start to the back-end of the season.
 

Q+A with Hyundai Motorsport WRC Sporting Director Andrew Wheatley

Japan was a tough challenge — with Thierry and Adrien finishing sixth and fifth respectively. Now WRC moves back onto gravel, how does that shift the mood heading into Greece?
“Japan was a more difficult challenge than we expected, but it was important to finish the Rally1 era on tarmac with good reliability and a solid performance from the team. We didn’t get the result we wanted, but we can now face the second half of the season with more confidence. Acropolis Rally is a very tough event; hot, dusty and potentially very tough for the cars and the tyres, but this profile seems to suit the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 very well. All three drivers have had a chance to test in Greece for this event, and we will be building on the work completed at our permanent test base at Chateau Lastours to dial in the fine balance between speed and safety that you need in Greece to be fast.”
 
Acropolis Rally has moved to Loutraki this year - different territory from the Greek stages the team knows well. What does that mean for preparation?
“With around half of the stage mileage new for 2026, there is a lot of emphasis on the recce – the crews will need to ensure that they will take every possible advantage from it. To be honest, this suits our drivers, who often do well in this scenario. The route has a tough start with 130km of stages on Friday and just a remote service in the middle of the day. We expect it to be difficult – especially as only one stage is repeated on Friday, which also means that the running order will be key. Starting first on the road will be more of a challenge, but with some of the key championship competitors also starting fourth and fifth, the competition will be intense from the first corner. Our crews will also have to contend with more loose rocks which can dramatically increase the risk of puncture, so tyre management will be a key factor.”
 
What would be a strong result for the team?
“We start the second half of the year with eyes firmly on the podium. Greece is a rally that has been good for Hyundai Motorsport in the past, and there is no reason to suggest it will not be good again. We have three drivers that have been on the podium here in recent years, and they know what is needed for this type of event – but unlike the tarmac rallies, this is one where a single stray rock can ruin a good event. We will need to lean into all the experience of our crews and the unstinting hard work of our team to take the best possible result. Greece has a well-deserved reputation as one of the toughest rallies of the season, but we hope that the “Gods of Rally” will be kind to us.”

Views from the crews  

Adrien Fourmaux said:

I’m really looking forward to Acropolis Rally and the return to gravel. At this event, we’re really trying to avoid any punctures, but also reading the grip and the compressions, with bumps and crests threatening to kick the car off in a different direction. Starting later in the running order will help you with cleaner lines when it’s dry, which is a clear advantage compared to the cars in front cleaning the road and improving the conditions, however there is also more tyre wear and the risk of loose rocks. Our target for the second half of the season is to get some victories to be back on track for the championship fight. Last year we finished third here, which was good, but we can do better. It’s been quite a tough first half of the season due to the amount of tarmac events, where we struggled a bit more, but we are in a good position to be very competitive for the rest of the season.
 
Thierry Neuville said:

We have a good starting order heading into a run of gravel events, where we know we can be competitive – we proved that last year and in the past. That gives me a real boost of motivation, knowing we’re heading into a rally where we should perform well. There are other factors at play too, like tyre choice and so on, but generally this should be a much more competitive weekend for us. We know what to expect from this event, though these are new roads. Temperature and weather can be tricky here, so while you can build on what you know, you still need to stay sharp. We're driving in a slightly different area and region, so you can hit stages with sharper stones, looser or more abrasive surfaces, and everything can change quickly. Our goal is clear — we're going for victory. With our starting order, a competitive car, and a rally where we have always performed well, that is absolutely our target.
 
Dani Sordo said:

Greece is a rally that I love. The stages are brutal with the heat, the rocks and uneven surfaces, but this sort of challenge suits our car and approach as a team. You have to be patient and manage your tyres, because one mistake can cost you everything. We’ve had some great results at Acropolis in the past, particularly in 2022 and 2024, so I come here with a lot of confidence. Now I want to go one better. The target is always the same: bring the car home, help the team in the manufacturers' fight, and if we can fight for the win, we will. Portugal did not end the way we hoped, so we are looking to put that right next weekend.