M-Sport's young driver Jon Armstrong secured his first WRC stage victory at the Acropolis Rally Greece, finishing the SS5 Elikon Mt special stage 0.6 seconds ahead of current world champion and Acropolis winner Sébastien Ogier. This result moved Armstrong up to third place in the overall standings, 18.9 seconds behind the leader.
Turbo failure interrupted the promising progress.
Armstrong, along with his co-driver Shane Byrne, experienced a tire blowout on the SS6 stage, forcing him to stop to change the tire. He then retired from the rally due to a turbo failure at the junction, but finished the final two days in first place overall, placing 20th. In reflecting on the events, Armstrong expressed disappointment at encountering the turbo problem while in third place on Friday; however, he emphasized that the two early days provided valuable experience that could be useful in the future.
Armstrong stated that he was already familiar with parts of the track, having participated in the 2022 Junior WRC, and that this gave him an advantage. Describing his first stage victory as a great achievement to mark in his career, Armstrong added that he recorded competitive times against other riders even while sweeping the track.
High expectations for the Estonian and Finnish rallies.
Armstrong, who completed his eighth Rally1 race, said he is progressing step by step in understanding his Ford Puma car, the championship, and the level of competition. He expressed his anticipation for the upcoming Rally Estonia and Rally Finland, having competed in Estonia three times and Finland only once. Armstrong emphasized that these rallies will present a different challenge with large flyovers, high speeds, and maximum use of aerodynamics, and shared that his priority for the rest of the season is to continue enjoying driving. According to the driver, a driver who feels comfortable and enjoys driving eventually achieves faster stage times; he plans to continue this approach.