The opening week of the 2023 Dakar Rally proved brutal for Carlos Sainz. A kneecap issue on stage three slowed him down, an accident on stage six forced him out, and helping Mattias Ekström on stage seven added another setback. On Sunday, he lost the eighth stage due to a speeding penalty. The 45th edition left a heavy mark, yet Sainz remained focused on his goals in the World Rally-Raid Championship and on securing points for Audi as the team continues to push the RS Q e-tron E2 toward improvement.
How would you summarize the first week?
A major setback for the team. The kneecap problem arose suddenly, a double accident with Peterhansel followed, and the next day Mattias needed assistance. Sunday brought disappointment with the loss of a stage victory to a speeding penalty. Despite that, the pace is strong, and the momentum points toward a steady climb in the stages ahead.
Is it dangerous to hit the road so late, having to overtake 15 or 20 cars in a special race?
Starting from the back is a safety challenge, yet rules protect those ahead. The rain can kick up dust, which would make the route even more perilous. Fortunately, the night conditions and order of arrival kept the route manageable this time.
The feeling created is a bit strange. You are in the race but you are not because you can’t score in the final classification but you win the stages
This year the organizers limited night helicopter operations to keep the event together, so closed routes were used and checkpoints determined the next move if a time window wasn’t met.
It is difficult to understand that you are running, you can choose to win the stages and then it is recorded as if you did not finish it…
Two competitions run side by side in the same event. Dakar is one track, the World Cup another, with separate daily scoring. This mix creates confusion, especially when a start issue places a car at a disadvantage in one ranking while still delivering stage wins elsewhere.
In what spirit do you welcome the second part of this Dakar?
The plan is to keep improving, target as many milestones as possible, and stay motivated for the team to learn. The future remains uncertain, but the drive is to seize a third opportunity and draw meaningful conclusions to move forward.
Destination World Cup?
No, the focus is on a solid week. There is no defined plan for a World Cup run, so the team will manage as events unfold.
The first week was quite busy for other brands as well. Is speed climbing in cars the right way?
The balance is delicate. Top speeds are capped, yet even at lower speeds an incident can occur. Power output has decreased modestly from last year, which affects pace. The cars are quick and the drivers push hard, but it’s clear that staying on pace is a constant challenge. If constraints on acceleration and overall weight shift, equality in performance becomes harder to achieve.
In 2022 Audi came to Dakar without a race, when racing in Morocco in 2023, don’t you think that more races are needed to develop faster and make the car more reliable?
Racing remains the best way to sharpen a machine. The rallies provide a test that cannot be fully replicated in rehearsals. The experience mirrors what happened with earlier work at Volkswagen: progress comes through actual competition, even when it’s tough to translate every effort into immediate gains.