Carlos Sainz: “a complicated first step”

A champion start. Carlos Sainz (Mini X-Raid) started the 2021 Dakar as it finished 2020, in the lead. In last position among the favorites of the event in the starting order, the Spaniard was able to benefit from the track of his opponents and took advantage of it. Throughout the stage, he played cat and mouse with his teammate Stéphane Peterhansel, before gaining the upper hand in the final stretch.

The double world champion rally offers himself his first victory on this Dakar. “I'm very happy, it's always nice to win. We left every three minutes so I didn't have to overtake many cars and I didn't lose too much time,” reacted the title holder.

But no one experienced a long, quiet stage during this first opus of the Dakar 2021, yet the shortest of the rally. Even the winner of the day, associated with Lucas Cruz, experienced setbacks. “This first stage was very hard, it was easy to puncture and we couldn't escape it. Later we took the wrong route because of a problem with our notes. We lost four minutes in the process, navigation was really difficult there.”

Carlos Sainz will lead the pack over the 457 kilometers of the second stage, just ahead of Peterhansel. the Frenchman also regrets being in front. “We missed out yesterday, so we had a good time today,” commented the Frenchman.

“We had an advantage by starting very far behind, but tomorrow if we open the track it will be very different. This was not our strategy at all, because we knew that the 2nd stage was even more complicated in terms of navigation. There is theory, and in practice it is complicated to implement. It would have been better to start 5th or 6th tomorrow. »

The two Mini drivers are in any case neck and neck in the general standings, with a gap of eight seconds.