Belgian Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) took the lead in the Acropolis Rally on Saturday morning, taking advantage of the problems encountered by Sébastien Loeb (Ford), leader Friday evening, and Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota), the championship leader of the world (WRC). Everything started to change from the start of this second day, which began with a scratch time for the Estonian Ott Tänak (Hyundai) in SS8, the longest of the rally (33 km). Then Loeb stopped after this SS8, on the link course towards SS9, to try to change his alternator belt, at the side of the road.
In SS9, scheduled just after, it was Rovanperä, only 9th on Saturday morning one minute behind Loeb, who first parked in the special, the rear of his Toyota being deprived of a spoiler, then the ended in slow motion, six minutes behind the author of the best time. There are still four specials to be played on Saturday (SS10 to SS13) in the Greek hills and a four-way match is taking shape between two Hyundai drivers, Neuville and Tänak, 2nd 4.4 seconds behind the Belgian, and two Toyota drivers, the Finn Esapekka Lappi and Welshman Elfyn Evans.
Frenchman Pierre-Louis Loubet, 2nd on Saturday morning behind Loeb, plunged in the general classification after going off the road on SS9. But he still finished this stage, with a big problem at the front of his Ford Puma from the M-Sport team. He did not express himself at the SS9 stop point and then parked to change his left front wheel.