The World Rally Championship's leading drivers have turned their frustration toward a problem that has nothing to do with lap times: the hours they spend sitting in traffic between the stages that actually count.
The complaint sharpened after the Acropolis Rally Greece, one of the most demanding rounds on the calendar. Drivers spent roughly 14 hours in their cars across the event, yet only a fraction of that was spent racing. By one measure, competitive stage mileage accounted for just 14.7 percent of the total - around 67.5 miles of stages against nearly 389 miles of liaison road sections.
Championship leader Elfyn Evans framed the imbalance bluntly.
"You know, we do less kilometers than a national rally and take double the time to do it," the Toyota driver said.
Eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier, who has seen every version of the modern calendar, agreed that the structure needs attention.
"There is a lot of road section," Ogier said. "That's definitely something we need to improve."
"Saturday we did 600km on the road section and only 100km of stages," the Japanese driver said, warning that the long transits risk driving away fans both old and new.
Katsuta's sharpest point was about the people left waiting at the end of those days.
"People are waiting for autographs and photos," he said. "It's so sad to go away because they are waiting so late."
With crews often reaching service parks close to 10 p.m., the window to connect with spectators has all but vanished - a concern for a series that leans heavily on its grassroots following.
Not everyone sees it the same way. Thierry Neuville offered a counterpoint, saying he relishes the physical and mental challenge of the longest, most punishing events, fatigue included. The disagreement underlines that the debate is less about whether the days are hard and more about what the championship should be asking of its crews and fans.
The timing gives the discussion weight. The calendar rolls on toward Rally Estonia and Secto Rally Finland, two of the fastest events of the year, and the sport is already shaping its 2027 structure. Evans leads the standings, but the drivers' shared message - across a title contender, a record-breaking veteran and a midfield fan favourite - is that the show around the stages needs rethinking before the next set of rules and routes is locked in.
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*Originally published on [Motorsports Global](https://motorsports.global/article/wrc-drivers-push-back-on-marathon-road-sections-after-acropolis). Visit for full coverage.*