Nasser Al-Attiyah always with a smile ready to attend the media. This weekend, he competes in Scotland, in Extreme E with CUPRA, and after a difficult first day marked by a touch from a rival that destroyed his car, we expect him to be serious, angry, unwilling talk about his future. , as any pilot might be in his place. But Qatari is not like that. He greeted us jokingly. He links Mundo Deportivo and our presence to the visits of the Spanish press to his Dakar tent. “Not his…”, he laughed, joking at the idea of not wanting to serve us. And he quickly went to work. Again, he said it all. He praised CUPRA’s philosophy, its people and their work: “it’s an incredible brand”. He spoke about his future, as his contract with Toyota ends this year for the Dakar. He announced to MD that he has put his offer on the table with the Japanese firm and is waiting, but he is not ruling out going to BRX to fight head on Sebastien Loeb with the same car. “Why not?”. He is calm, he knows he has the power. He is the Dakar champion and wants to keep winning.
What does being a CUPRA pilot in Extreme E mean to you? We know that he loves Barcelona, goes that he has a farm nearby and now he is even closer to Catalonia with this signing.
I am a real fan of Barcelona and since I met the people of CUPRA I have loved the brand. Your logo is awesome. You know, when you see him again, you immediately remember him. The relationship between the brand and me is absolutely incredible. I’m happy to help the company, happy to be here, and even though I’m driving for another brand in the Dakar, I have a lot of respect for CUPRA for everything it does, for its people, because it looks at the world and for the bet its electric vehicles. Is incredible.
The CUPRA is the future, it focuses on electric, but it also shines for its unique and daring character.
Did you know? One of my dreams is to bring the CUPRA to Cross-Country (laughs). It would be incredible, a dream. The people at CUPRA have a lot of history behind them for everything they have done at SEAT and I am very happy to be part of this family.
What else is left to do in Barcelona?
I am happy to be a part of Barcelona,
They had several accidents in the first two Extreme E events that compromised their results. In Scotland, in the first race, a movement by a rival caused them to overturn in qualifying and they could not aim for more. Do you think it is still possible to win the championship?
Obviously! Everything is possible. There are still many races to go, but hey, we have to focus on the fact that we showed our speed and we are strong. Ok, luck is not on our side, but I am sure we will go further.
Do you miss not being able to fight on the track in Extreme E against Carlos Sainz, because this year he is not competing and only doing the duties of team leader in Acciona-Sainz?
Yes. Carlos is here as team manager, but the most important thing for Carlos is his health, because we need him to come back stronger next year in Dakar (after his accident in the last Dakar 2023) and I miss fighting with him on the track in Extreme E, but I think there are times when you have to take care of your health and this is one of those moments.
You talked about Dakar 2024. Your contract with Toyota will end this year. In the Morocco Rally he may even compete with another team before going to the Dakar. Do you know what you’re going to do? Will you continue with Toyota?
When you are the best in this business you don’t worry too much, because everyone loves you as a driver. I will finish my contract and I have made my proposal to Toyota, I have also received offers from other teams… everything is open. I have things pretty clear in this business and I will do my best to win Dakar 2024 again.
Why not sign with Toyota now?
I have put my offer on the table to proceed and now I am waiting for an answer. If they accept, that’s fine. If they don’t accept, that’s fine, I’ll go somewhere else. It doesn’t worry me.
What would you think if I told you about a duo Nasser Al-Attiyah and Sébastien Loeb sharing a team at BRX?
cow…
He wants?
Why not? Yes, yes, I like the idea. cow…
With both cars, it will be an amazing battle between the two.
It will be like what Carlos (Sainz) and I have done in the past as colleagues at Volkswagen. Why not? I think every team prefers to have the best two on the same team.
Do you think the FIA will change the regulation related to the weight of the cars or power so that Audi is not harmed by having to compete with 100 kg more for the natural weight of its car?
No, I don’t think it will happen because there are more manufacturers and you can’t make a change to help one team that will leave tomorrow and the other teams will continue to work hard and spend a lot of money. Performance is the same, it’s not about weight. Audi is very fast and very similar to other cars, it is similar. I think it is good and fair for the next Dakar.
Last topic, very important for Barcelona. You, last time Dakar told MD that you are sure Leo Messi will play for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia and they will offer him 300 million. He did not make a mistake in the offer. How do you see the situation now?
It didn’t go wrong, did it? He is telling the truth. And now I keep saying the same thing. Messi will go to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia to play for one year. I think it will happen this summer.
You are the family of the owner of PSG. Will it hurt him to leave Paris?
No, it’s not shameful because he’s already been part of the team, he’s played for the club and he became a world champion as a PSG player. I think it is the right time for Messi to take this step and go to Saudi Arabia. Barcelona? For now, I don’t think so… maybe, when the new stadium is finished… (laughs).
Are you friends with the president of Al-Hilal? Do they talk a lot about this topic?
Yes, he is a good friend. We didn’t talk much, but they had come to Dakar and explained their idea to me. Saudi Arabia will do everything now for sports, like in motorsport, in football, trying to sign big names because it is something very important. Look at Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays there and I’m sure he’ll leave next year. It is all a matter of propaganda.
Again, from the information you have, where will Messi play next year?
Messi will play for Al Hilal. I’m sure, 100%.
Thank you Nasser.
Yours.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
