Carlos Sainz won his fourth Dakar Rally this Friday at the age of 61, breaking for the second time his own record of seniority in the event and further expanding his resume as a true legend. His unquestionable victory in the 46th edition, the fifth held in Saudi Arabia, also elevates Audi’s innovative project, capable of turning a hybrid prototype into a winner in just three years, a not inconsiderable milestone. The Spanish driver is now the third with the most wins in a car, tying Ari Vatanen’s record and surpassing the Frenchmen René Metge and Pierre Lartigue. With a total time of 48h15m18s, he left his closest pursuers more than an hour behind. He will be accompanied on the podium by the Belgian Guillaume de Mevius and the Frenchman Sébastien Loeb.
After seeing how the second, his main rival in 2024, succumbed in the penultimate stage due to a mechanical breakdown, the Spanish driver only needed to take his car to the finish line located in Yanbu, on the shores of the Red Sea, following almost 8,000 kilometers of travel. He did it with restraint and coolness, without stepping on the pedal or getting too carried away, simply ensuring the shot and making use of his extensive experience. With a 17th position, 10m50s behind the Frenchman, the winner of the day, he completed a triumph without stage victories that allows him to lift the fourth Touareg with the fourth brand other than his own, another unprecedented milestone to date. In his previous flights, with Volkswagen (2010), Peugeot (2018) and Mini (2020), the only constant was Lucas Cruz, a 49-year-old from Barcelona who has acted as his co-driver in 12 of his 17 participations and has accompanied him once. more in the navigation to the new title.
“It was a victory in a very competitive edition, with my fourth brand and a very special car. This means a lot to me, and also making history with this type of vehicle. I’m happy for Audi, it was the last bullet we had and we got it. I am delighted and I want to thank you for all your trust,” stated Sainz, cheered and requested by everyone upon arrival at the finish line. The presence of his family, a last-minute surprise, was the only thing that brought him closer to tears. “All the effort that was behind it, of the entire team, of those years in which things did not end up working out… When you pursue your dreams, even if they are big, sometimes they are achieved, and today is one of those days,” he celebrated. .
Sainz started the rally upset following making a mistake in strategy during the prologue, but it was precisely his tactical game that ultimately gave him the best hand to control the race and force errors from his rivals. His bet on the day before the 48-hour marathon stage, where he lost just enough time to leave behind his rivals in the Rub Al Khali desert, left him with the right cards to dedicate himself to managing his advantage at the front of the classification starting in the second week. Meanwhile, the rest of the favorites were falling, one following another. Nasser Al-Attiyah got lost in the dunes and ended up so fed up with the BRX Prodrive that he fled and ruined Sébastien Loeb’s plan B, the only one who held on and pressed until the penultimate stage.
Friendly wheels, especially with the trap of punctures annoying left and right, saved Sainz and finally condemned the nine-time world rally champion. A stone, as already happened to him in 2023, left the driver who has achieved the most podiums (five) without winning the race orphaned from Dakar and has once once more stood out for his speed with five stage victories. The man from Madrid saved the furniture on the worst days thanks to the collaboration of Stéphane Peterhansel and Mattias Ekström, who dedicated themselves to escorting him once they ran out of options to win the event. Although glory usually goes to one, the rally de rallies It is still a team sport, and Audi’s triumph will forever remain in the history books as a sporting, technological and human milestone.
The failure of his main adversaries gave the Spaniard free rein to carefully manage the race, especially the dreaded eleventh stage. All that was left was for the car to enter the final finish line on the shores of the Red Sea, and he did so this Friday, chasing away the ghosts of the past that he himself has very present on such important days. So much accumulated experience, and an innate speed that is apparently immune to the passage of time, make Sainz an incombustible pilot, capable of continuing at the foot of the canyon as long as he wants. Although Audi leaves the Dakar in style to focus its efforts on Formula 1, there is no shortage of offers for the Matador to continue fighting for more titles with a new brand. Ford is already waiting for him with open arms, although he has not yet given clear clues regarding his future.
Cristina Gutiérrez, second woman to win the Dakar
The 32-year-old driver from Burgos, Cristina Gutiérrez, who next year will have one of the best cars as a partner of Loeb and Al-Attiyah in Dacia, said goodbye to the Challenger category with a victory at the horn, the first of a woman behind the wheel of a light vehicle. Visibly excited, she was able to celebrate the second victory of a female in a specific general classification following the success of Jutta Kleinschmidt in 2001, the first and only one to win the event in the premier category until now.
“This is a dream come true. This is the best way to get to the best cars. “I’m freaking out, I don’t even know what to say,” she shared following experiencing 20 minutes of suspense on the finish line. Amid great expectation and nerves, it was his team who confirmed with a burst of joy the historic victory that puts the finishing touch to a pioneering career. Laia Sanz, in her third year on four wheels, signed her best result with a 15th place, almost five hours behind Sainz, her great mentor in the category, staying just ahead of Gutiérrez and taking the podium in the 4×2 vehicle category.
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