Neuville:

"The tires aren't up to scratch ," lamented Thierry Neuville at the finish of SS9 at Acropolis. "When you see why we're puncturing, it's crazy. Competing at this level with such a product is impossible. We're constantly getting punished for nothing, it's no fun. It's just luck that decides."

Very frustrated, the Hyundai driver added another layer when he returned to service at midday.

"Yesterday, one of the tires wasn't even flat, it just bounced and let the air out ," he said. "We reinflated the tire that evening, and it stayed at the right pressure all night. It's clearly a manufacturing issue, a reliability issue. This is not how we should be fighting for a world title. And it's the same with the other punctures."

"This morning, you couldn't even see where the tire was losing air. There was a tiny hole, I've never seen anything like that before, it's really crazy. I had more punctures this weekend than all of last year. They [Hankook] have a lot of work to do."