Title holder Carlos Sainz abandons the Dakar

Carlos Sainz will not restart and definitively loses any chance of defending his title in the 2025 Dakar. Victim of an accident on Sunday morning in the first part of the 48H stage, the four-time winner of the event managed this Monday to reach arrival and return to the bivouac. However, the extent of the damage to his Ford Raptor is too great.

Back in Bisha, El Matador had confided his wish to “recover, both emotionally and physically”before resuming the race to “try to help the team”. He was relegated to 20th place in the general classification, 1h26 behind the new leader, Henk Lategan.

After recovering the vehicle from Carlos Sainz and his co-driver Lucas Cruz, the Ford M-Sport team was able to assess the excessive consequences of the rollover they suffered the day before, and the 600 km completed subsequently in very precarious conditions. , with reduced bodywork and no windshield.

Above all, the Ford Raptor No. 225 is no longer able to comply with the regulations, no longer meeting safety standards. FIA officials, in agreement with the team, noted that the roll cage and structure of the car had suffered excessive deformation and would no longer ensure the physical integrity of the occupants in the event of another accident.

The regulations do not allow under any circumstances to carry out repairs to these essential structural parts, and Ford immediately made official the crew's withdrawal for the rest of the rally. In 18 participations in the Dakar since 2006, this is the eighth time that Carlos Sainz has been forced to retire.

It's a hard blow for the American manufacturer, which also lost Nani Roma to a mechanical failure on Monday. The Spaniard was able to return to the bivouac with assistance, and leaving the special, and will be able to leave again on Tuesday to play water carrier, without any more chance in the general but with the mission of supporting Mattias Ekström, classified fifth in the general at 16'25 from the head.