The Greece Akropolis Rally, one of the toughest and most historic events in the World Rally Championship (WRC), was marked this year by unusual penalties arising from seatbelt violations. Hyundai driver Adrien Fourmaux and M-Sport Ford's young driver Josh McErlean were handed a total of one minute each in penalties for failing to comply with seatbelt rules regarding their respective co-drivers during the rally. This situation caused significant changes in the rankings, not only in the final race standings but also in the overall championship classification. The strict application of sporting regulations once again highlighted how vital safety standards are in the rally world. Although these penalties did not directly affect the battle for the lead, they caused a major shift in the points standings, increasing the advantage of the championship leader.
The first rule violation occurred on Saturday evening during the 12th special stage. Adrien Fourmaux, who suffered a front right tire puncture, had to pull over to change the wheel and, upon returning to the race, believed that his co-driver Alex Coria had fastened his seatbelt correctly. However, when the French driver realized a short time later that Coria's belt was not fastened, he deliberately slowed down his car to prevent a possible accident and injury. According to the report prepared by the officials, although Fourmaux exhibited exemplary sportsmanship by slowing down to ensure his co-driver's safety, he had to accept a penalty since the rule violation had actually occurred. This incident showed that safety procedures can be overlooked during highly stressful and fast-paced moments such as tire changes during a race. As a result, Fourmaux dropped from sixth place to seventh.
The second seatbelt violation was experienced by Irish driver Josh McErlean on Sunday during the 16th special stage. McErlean made a braking error, ran wide, and went off the road, forcing him to make a mandatory stop. According to the driver's statement, he unbuckled his seatbelt and exited the vehicle to pull it to a safe area and correctly place the triangle and OK signs by the roadside as required by safety rules. The duo then attempted to return to the track by putting the car in reverse, claiming that due to the slope, the vehicle shifted, and they only accelerated once the driver had fully buckled the co-driver's seatbelt. The co-driver argued that he explicitly told the driver his belt was not fully fastened while the vehicle was moving, which is why he prioritized safety.
However, the race stewards rejected these defenses after thoroughly reviewing the video footage broadcast on Rally.TV. The footage clearly showed that the M-Sport Ford team's co-driver was not wearing his seatbelt after the car was back on the track and while it was in motion. The committee stated that no compromises could be made regarding safety rules and decided to impose a 60-second penalty on both teams. This penalty caused McErlean to drop from fourth to sixth place; however, this position was still a great source of pride for the Irish athlete as the best WRC result of his career. Meanwhile, thanks to this one-minute penalty, Fourmaux dropped another position and completely lost his podium hopes.
These penalties applied after the race were like a surprise gift for championship leader Elfyn Evans, significantly increasing his points gap in the overall classification. Despite finishing the race in seventh, Evans moved up to fifth place thanks to the penalty applied to Fourmaux, earning him extra points. This crucial difference increased Evans' lead over his teammate Takamoto Katsuta from seven points to eleven. Additionally, Toyota's other successful driver, Sami Pajari, was promoted to fourth position, moving him one step closer to the podium. Such detailed safety reviews and steward decisions have bitterly proven how valuable every single second is in the rally sport's scoring system towards the end of the season.
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