The Spanish driver and four-time winner of this competition is forced to abandon the race after serious damage to his vehicle

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Carlos Sainz says 'goodbye' to the Dakar

The Dakar Rally 2025 bids farewell to its reigning champion, Spanish driver Carlos Sainz, who has been forced to drop out of the competition due to serious problems with his vehicle following a mishap suffered on the second stage of the race.

Four-time Dakar Rally winners (in 2010, 2018, 2020 and 2024), Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz have lost their chance to take the title of the toughest rally in existence. A news that was known just a few hours ago after the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) has determined that the damage to the safety cage of the Spaniards' vehicle compromised the structural integrity of the car, preventing their participation for safety reasons.

Sainz and Cruz suffered an accident in the opening stage of the competition when the Ford Raptor overturned at kilometer 327 of the stage, causing significant damage to the vehicle's safety structure. As reported by this media a few days ago, the toughest test that had been planned for the Dakar Rally 2025 was a 48-hour marathon stage during the second stage, where the participants would have to face more than 1,000 kilometers without external assistance.

Despite the efforts of the Spaniards to continue racing, and the hours of dedication and preparation invested in this edition, the International Automobile Federation has prevented them from participating for safety reasons.

Sainz has accepted the expulsion with self-criticism, declaring: “I'm not hiding. It's my mistake because in the end, I entered at 20 km/h in a dune so deep that I was fast enough to overturn. There's no need to look for excuses. It has happened to me twice and it happens to all of us. If I were in Madrid sitting on a sofa, it's clear that it wouldn't happen to me”. Sainz also confessed that his back doesn't feel good and that as soon as he arrives in his country he will go to the doctor: “Now when I get to Madrid I will do check-ups to see how my back is. It bothers me and I have to look at it”.

This withdrawal adds to a series of retirements of Spanish riders in the current edition of the Dakar, including Laia Sanz and Cristina Gutiérrez, which significantly reduces the chances of a Spanish rider winning the Dakar Rally title this year.