Loeb new leader in Abu Dhabi: "We tried to attack hard in this stage"

More than a month after his premature and brutal elimination from the Dakar, Sébastien Loeb is on the rise again in Abu Dhabi. The Frenchman is trying to erase the disappointment of last January by playing the attack card this week in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the second round of the W2RC season. And for now, his strategy is paying off. Second on Sunday at the finish of Stage 1, the Alsatian won this Monday during Stage 2 around Mezeer'ah.

Three-way battle at the front

Starting in second position behind Lucas Moraes, the Dacia driver was aggressive and got the better of his opponent in the second part of the special, despite the lack of tracks at the front. The nine-time world champion WRC thus secured his first stage victory in 2025, the second with Dacia after that obtained during Stage 3 of the Rally of Morocco 2024.

"It was a good day. We tried to attack hard in this stage, said the winner of the day at the finish of Stage 2, in Mezeer'ah. At the beginning we lost a bit of time: when we stopped [at the refuelling point], we could see [our delay] when [Lucas Moraes] set off again, so I tried to really push as much as possible in the second part of the stage. We had a good day: no mistakes, the car was very fast, so no problems. (…) I never saw [Lucas Moraes]. He set off three minutes before me and he crossed the line a minute and a half before me.

Stage 2 winners!🥇

Another solid day with a big attack in the dunes 🚀

Very happy with Fabian to bring back this stage victory to the whole team who really deserve it! 🙌🏻#dacia #TheDaciaSandriders pic.twitter.com/lRhaRoPjmN

- Sébastien Loeb (@SebastienLoeb) February 24, 2025

Result: at the end of the second stage, Sébastien Loeb is now the leader of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. The Dacia driver has a slim lead of 41 seconds ahead of Lucas Moraes and 2'52 ahead of his teammate, Nasser Al-Attiyah. On the other hand, the gap is made for the Top 3, since Seth Quintera is already six minutes behind. With this stage victory, Sébastien Loeb will have to open the road on Tuesday for Stage 3 and thus risks losing his advantage… but the pace is there for the Alsatian, who is aiming for a first overall victory with Dacia.

ALSO READ > Abu Dhabi – Stage 2: Sébastien Loeb winner and new general leader