Peterhansel: “Everything had to fit together well and it came together well”

In the Saudi desert, Stéphane Peterhansel once again established himself as the best driver in the history of the Dakar. Already a record holder for success (13 before this 43 edition), the 55-year-old driver will return to France with a 14th coronation in his hands.

If he dominated this Dakar 2021 for a long time, Stéphane Peterhansel believes that this new overall victory was not easy. On the contrary. " He There's still so much pressure. I say it every time: each race is very complicated to win, he admitted upon arrival in Jeddah.

You really have to give your all, be complete, have a good team, a good car, a top co-driver. Despite all this, to err is human and we can quickly make them. Winning a 14th time is important ».

From its 32 participations, the Habs believe that this Dakar was decided beyond experience. “ Yes, the experience made the difference but not only that I think. When we see Édouard (Baker), he has very little as a co-pilot. It’s clairvoyance, roadbook analysis.

For my part, when I saw that I was a little slower than Nasser (Al-Attiyah), I tried not to get excited so as not to make a mistake and break the car. It's a whole package. You have to know how to manage, attack at the right time, avoid getting lost and have a strong and fast car. ».

Very good race management which led them to the final victory even though this was far from being achieved before the start on January 3. “ We dreamed of a victory but making it happen is another story. I don't want to say that it was unexpected because Édouard has all the qualities to be the best co-driver but everything had to fit together well and it worked out well. ».