Ott Tanak led the Acropolis Rally on Friday after an attritional day's driving in the Greek mountains.
With the sun beating down, the Estonian, world champion in 2019, reached the end of the second day with a slim three second lead over his Hyundai teammate Adrien Fourmaux.
Eight-time former champion Sebastien Ogier was placed third at almost 17 seconds.
Ogier's Toyota teammate and championship leader Elfyn Evans was in fourth, almost one-and-a-half minutes adrift of Tanak.
Leaders after Friday 💪#WRC | #AcropolisRally 🇬🇷 pic.twitter.com/w2QkJg8fFE
— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) June 27, 2025
"It was a typical day in the Acropolis Rally, very difficult," said Welshman Evans.
"Seb (Ogier) put in incredible times, but we weren't able to match that," Evans added.
World champion Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) was one of the drivers who struggled, ending the day over two minutes off the lead.
The Belgian lost a chunk of time due to a brace of punctures.
In the overall standings, Evans holds a 19 point lead over Ogier, who is only competing part-time this season.