The rally, hosted in Saudi Arabia, concluded on Friday with a 175-kilometre stage. Sainz could afford to drive conservatively as his closest rival, Sebastien Loeb, had fallen more than an hour and a half behind after encountering difficulties on Thursday.
Ultimately, Sainz secured the top spot with an hour and 20-minute lead over Belgian Guillaume de Mevius. Loeb, chasing his first Dakar win, settled for third place.
Sainz made history in Dakar, becoming the first driver to win the rally with four different car manufacturers. Additionally, at 61, Sainz became the oldest winner in the history of the competition.
“I draw energy from my passion. I still believe in myself and my driving skills, and I also put in a lot of work behind the scenes. A lot of preparation is required to compete at this level at my age,” Sainz stated.
Sainz’s first victory came with Volkswagen in 2010, followed by a win with Peugeot in 2018 and Mini in 2020. This year’s first-place finish was achieved with Audi, which is reportedly withdrawing from Dakar. However, the German brand has now secured the coveted victory in the classic race.
“This is a special car. It’s challenging to handle and has been difficult to get it to perform. I’m really happy for Audi that we could win the rally,” Sainz expressed his joy.
With this win, Sainz ties with Ari Vatanen for third place in the Dakar Rally car category’s victory standings. Stephane Peterhansel (8 wins) and Nasser Al-Attiyah (5 wins), who faced challenges in this year’s desert adventure, occupy the top positions.
Sainz has yet to decide on his future.
“Right now, I want to enjoy this victory, but over the coming weeks, I will consider my future. Let’s see what happens,””he said.
Before his Dakar career, Sainz competed in the World Rally Championship, where he won two world titles in 1990 and 1992.
