Carlos Sainz has shared a heartwarming put up with a message to his father, Carlos Sainz Sr, forward of the 2026 Dakar Rally.
Sainz Sr is making ready for his nineteenth Dakar Rally run from 3 to 17 January 2026. Over time within the occasion, the 63-year-old driver has collected 4 wins, six podiums and 42 stage wins.Â
“I’ve watched you tackle this problem for years,” the Williams Components 1 driver wrote as he mirrored on having the chance to sit down within the co-driver’s seat after which driver’s seat beside his father within the Ford Raptor T1+ in the summertime of 2025.
“I skilled a small style of it final summer season and my admiration in the direction of you and what you do retains rising. Good luck on the Dakar, Dad. Happy with you for the best way you retain pushing and elevating the bar! Vamos!”
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Sainz Sr might be joined by his co-driver Lucas Cruz within the Ford Raptor T1+. Cruz has partnered with the Spanish driver in all 4 of his Dakar Rally wins, the earliest of which marked the primary time Spaniards had gained the title.
“We’re extra assured than final yr as a result of we have coated extra kilometres and know the automotive a little bit higher,” Sainz Sr instructed Dakar.com forward of the race.
“In a race the place reliability is essential, all this implies you may method the Dakar with a little bit extra confidence and optimism. Now that all of us have the identical weight, roughly the identical energy, and the identical tyres, the distinction would be the automotive that does not encounter mechanical points and finest optimises the suspension.
Carlos Sainz Sr
Photograph by: Simon Galloway / LAT Photos by way of Getty Photos
“We face an version the place greater than 15 autos can combat for victory. When there’s such a powerful discipline of quick drivers from completely different generations and so many manufacturers, it makes it extra fascinating. The competitors might be fierce and loads of enjoyable for spectators. It does not change our method a lot, because the tempo might be quick from the beginning, and it is essential to not have too many dangerous days.
“With this new era of drivers, the variety of potential winners has elevated. We noticed it within the Morocco Rally. [Sébastien] Loeb, [Nasser] Al Attiyah will all the time be there, together with Nani [Roma] and me. Nonetheless, there will even be Mattias [Ekström] and Mitch [Guthrie], Lucas Moraes —world champion—, Seth Quintero, Joao Ferreira, Henk Lategan… a collection of drivers who’ve first-rate automobiles and are very quick, and I am certain I am leaving some out. However our purpose is evident: once you’ve gained 4 occasions, you may solely have one factor in thoughts —to win it once more.”
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