Matteo Fontana has won the WRC3 class at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, round eight of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship season. The defending champion arrived in Greece already leading the standings, and he leaves with that advantage looking considerably more comfortable.
How the Rally Unfolded
Fontana did not have it entirely his own way. He held a commanding overnight lead heading into the final day, but the source material notes he survived a late scare before securing the result on Sunday. The details of that scare are not specified, though the outcome was never in doubt by the finish.
Early leader Nataniel Bruun had looked capable of challenging before engine failure ended his rally on Friday afternoon. That retirement handed Fontana the initiative, and the Italian did not relinquish it.
Tymek Abramowski finished second, recording his third runner-up result in as many WRC3 starts. It is a consistent run that will keep him in the championship conversation, even if victory has so far eluded him.
What It Means for the Championship
Fontana now leads the WRC3 standings at the midpoint of the season. A win at one of the WRC calendar’s most demanding events — 17 stages across 323.31 competitive kilometres of rough Greek gravel — carries real weight. The Acropolis Rally has a long reputation for punishing machinery and crews alike, making a clean run to victory here more meaningful than the result alone suggests.
Defending a championship is rarely straightforward, and Fontana’s ability to manage a commanding lead through a difficult event points to a driver and team operating with confidence.
What Comes Next
The WRC heads to Estonia next, with WRC Delfi Rally Estonia confirmed for 16–19 July. A 53-car entry has been announced, including 11 Rally1 cars and a strong Rally2 field. Estonia’s high-speed gravel stages offer a very different challenge to the rocky, abrasive surfaces of Greece.
For Fontana, the priority will be consolidating his standings lead on a surface that rewards commitment and outright pace. For Abramowski and the rest of the WRC3 field, Estonia represents another opportunity to close the gap before the season’s second half gathers momentum.
With eight rounds complete and the championship picture becoming clearer, Fontana’s Greece victory may well prove one of the defining results of his title defence.
Source: World Rally Championship
