Nasser Al-Attiyah has taken his sixth Dakar Rally win as Dacia defeats 2025 winners Toyota after a thrillingly close climax.
The Qatari was able to hold on to the lead, despite losing time in the final stage to his nearest challenger, Nani Roma.
Starting the day 16 seconds ahead of the Spaniard, Al-Attiyah was reliant on his Dacia running smoothly to the finish, and avoid any potential other mishaps.
And despite losing seven seconds in the stage, the veteran was able to secure the prestigious overall victory, bringing him to within two of the overall Dakar record.
Mattias Ekstrom was able to capitalise and take victory of the stage, ensuring he would finish third overall, ahead of World Rally Championship legends Sebastien Loeb and Carlos Sainz.
The only disappointment for Al-Attiyah was that, by losing the stage, he was unable to take the overall record for most Dakar stage wins.
Dacia’s victory is just the second time the Renault Group has achieved a victory in the Dakar Rally, 43 years after the first.
On two wheels, the RallyGP finale was perhaps the most climactic of the lot, as Red Bull KTM’s Luciano Benavides stole victory in the final stage, with Honda’s Ricky Brabec losing his three-minute lead due to a navigation issue with around five miles left to run.
| Position | Driver | Car | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nasser Al-Attiyah | Dacia | 48h56m53s | |
| 2 | Nani Roma | Ford | 9m42s | |
| 3 | Mattias Ekstrom | Ford | 14m33s | |
| 4 | Sebastien Loeb | Dacia | 15m10s | |
| 5 | Carlos Sainz Sr | Ford | 28m30s | |
| 6 | Mathieu Serradori | Century | 45m02s | |
| 7 | Lucas Moraes | Dacia | 46m50s | |
| 8 | Toby Price | Toyota | 52m27s | |
| 9 | Seth Quintero | Toyota | 1h15m02s | |
| 10 | Saood Variawa | Toyota | 1h23m36s |
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