Dakar 2026 at ‘F1 level’ after close f...

Ford driver Nani Roma believes the Dakar Rally has reached a degree of competitiveness corresponding to Method 1, after ending second in a closely-fought 2026 occasion.

With Ford and Dacia each now established in cross-country rallying and Toyota introducing a brand-new Hilux, the extent of competitors in Dakar’s automobiles class rose a number of notches this yr.

5 totally different producers scored at the least one stage win, together with Mini and Century, whereas 10 drivers clinched particular person victories throughout the two-week marathon in Saudi Arabia.

The battle for victory remained open deep into the second week, and it was solely after the second marathon stage that Dacia’s Nasser Al-Attiyah emerged because the clear favorite.

The Qatari’s ultimate profitable margin over Roma was slightly below 10 minutes, whereas Mattias Ekstrom completed simply quarter-hour off the highest spot regardless of shedding half an hour to navigation points on Stage 9.

Two-time Dakar winner Roma mentioned that after such an intensive fortnight of rallying in Saudi Arabia, the margins separating the entrance runners have been just like these seen in grand prix racing.

“Typically you get podium finishes in races which can be circumstantial. I acquired right here as a result of the automobiles in entrance began to interrupt down, however we have been all right here, neck-and-neck, only a few minutes aside,” the Spaniard advised media together with Motorsport.com .

“For those who analyse the variations effectively after greater than 5,000 kilometers, I feel you get these sorts of variations in Method 1.

“I am pleased with the extent we have had with [co-driver] Alex [Haro]. In the long run, that is nearly extra necessary than the rostrum. The truth that I will be right here, be aggressive, be aggressive once more, really feel aggressive, and be tremendous blissful for the crew.”

Roma believes small particulars, somewhat than outright tempo, determined the battle in Al-Attiyah’s favour.

“In the long run, you must be pleased with what you do, with the truth of it,” he mentioned. “He was a bit quicker than us at totally different instances. He did not beat us by being quicker, however due to small particulars that we weren’t expert sufficient to deal with, however the good factor is to compete within the races and face the difficulty head-on.”

Bittersweet Dakar for Sainz

Roma’s team-mate Carlos Sainz Sr ended the Dakar in fifth, round 28 minutes down on winner Al-Attiyah. Navigation issues, together with a 15-minute penalty for lacking a waypoint within the second marathon stage, price him a shot at a fifth profession win in Dakar.

Sainz had been operating in second heading into Stage 10 the place he misplaced his approach, underlining how pricey errors have turn out to be in fashionable Dakar.

#225 Ford M-Sport Ford: Carlos Sainz, Lucas Cruz

Photograph by: Purple Bull Content material Pool

“My evaluation is a bit bittersweet,” he mentioned. “On the one hand, I am blissful to have completed the Dakar. I feel we saved up a very good tempo, with none main issues with the automobile. 

“However simply at some point was sufficient to destroy all our probabilities of victory. We could not do it. That day, we misplaced nearly 45 minutes, all our probabilities of victory. It is powerful, as a result of the remainder of the times went kind of effectively. I feel we may have fought for victory. We have been there, nearly main with Nani that day.”

The bikes category saw an even tighter fight, with KTM’s Luciano Benavides capitalising on a late error from Honda rival Ricky Brabec on the ultimate day to grab victory by simply two seconds.

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– The Motorsport.com Staff