Sainz: “In Dakar you have to be prepared for the worst every day”

The Spanish pilot Carlos Sainz He assured this Thursday the day before the start of the Dakar that the rally is “a box of surprises” and that the driver and the team have to “prepare for the worst every day, even if -the organization- is not looking forward to anything” .

“That’s the best way to face a Dakar, in addition to responding to what you find,” explained Sainz in a conversation with some Spanish media who traveled to Al Ula (Saudi Arabia), where he commented that his experience tells him that “Many times a stage is not discussed and then you see a surprise, like stage 2 last year, where it has already been decided who will not win the Dakar.”

So, he explained that on that day of the last edition he had to open the race with his co-driver, Lucas Cruz, and they did it well because they “only” lost five seconds per kilometer “despite the rocky terrain”, which qualifies as a “victory” thanks to “self-control to go slowly over the rocks.”

Sainz pointed out that in this edition the same stage runs, but on the contrary, on the penultimate day, so everyone will go “with more attention”, although the characteristics of the route will continue to allow us to imagine that it is ” a stage that changes things”, so “if you come in front you don’t want to face that stage and if you come in the back, you think ‘that’s great!'”.

The rider in Madrid said that in the days before the rally he saw himself “up there, fighting from the first moment for the top positions” and capable of winning his fourth Touareg, the main goal if where he arrived in Saudi Arabia, after being “a whole year” preparing “to find that situation of fighting to the end.”

However, he commented that the main goal of the first days was “not to have problems” and that, if they arose, “they should be due to the race but not due to a mechanical problem.” He also emphasized that the car “perhaps has more surprises than others because it has other factors that can be a surprise”, as a hybrid car, and “despite it being the third year, it is a car that continues to surprise” with little issues.

Reply to Al Attiyah

Asked about the Qatari statements Nasser Al-Attiyah, who commented on Wednesday that he had given Audi “three days” before returning “home” due to problems with the car, saying that he was “free to think about it”, but focused on the performance of his car, where they worked on suspensions and “on the ongoing work of reliability.”

“It’s been a difficult year. We want to come with more races and with a ‘track record’ of fewer problems,” warned Sainz, who nevertheless commented that those “things” are “a victory in stage or fight for the title. more special.” Dakar” and that they ride “more than any other year. There are things missing but overall I’m satisfied.”

Audi in 2025 and its future in Dakar

After three years at Audi, he commented that the fact of not knowing whether the team will continue in 2025 is “not important” and that his focus “is the race”, because anything that involves thinking about in the future “is” not important.” sense”. “The future is tomorrow and after tomorrow is the next day. This is where we should focus all our energies,” he said.

He also emphasized that at the end of the Dakar when he will think about his future in the rallies of the king of endurance: “There will be time to make plans, to see what the brand decides and look in the mirror and ask your all the questions you should ask yourself. do at the end of the Dakar”.

Finally, he also had a few words to talk about the new generation of drivers taking over and said that “that’s the law of the world of sport.”

“The veterans are always there to measure the people coming. In this case there is a group of drivers like Löeb, Peterhansel, Al-Attiyah or myself who have been fighting for years to see who will win. The veterans are the ones who mark a The level of young people coming in is few and when you’re young, you try to find your place and beat your peers to establish yourself. That’s the law of the sport,” said man from Madrid.

So, he indicated that “this recycling” is normal, because otherwise the world of sports would end, before concluding that Toyota is at the top despite the departure of Nasser, but he emphasized the relevance of Prodrive upon arrival of Al-Attiyah: “Prodrive six stages last year. Nasser and Prodrive is a good mix, the team is clearly strengthened.”