“Sainz didn’t let me pass”

Nasser Al-Attiyah left this Friday morning at 5:20?? late on Carlos Sainz. At the end of the 368 km special, the Qatari is now at 2:48?? of the leader of the general classification, on the eve of the arrival in Buenos Aires. If the day was rather good, Al-Attiyah regrets not having been able to take more time from the Spaniard who, having left two minutes before his teammate, did not give up. “ Sainz didn't let me pass, said Al-Attiyah upon arrival. I finally managed to overtake in the final straight. »

« But it does not matter, continues the Qatari. Never mind ! It was a very, very quick stage, not technical, but I'm quite happy. We did a good job. The part in the dunes was too short. » Indeed, this is where Al-Attiyah gained most of his advantage over Carlos Sainz. With more kilometers covered in sand, Sainz would undoubtedly have suffered more.

On the eve of the arrival in Buenos Aires, Nasser Al-Attiyah knows that it will now be difficult for him to win the Dakar, despite the thin gap separating him from Carlos Sainz, after so many kilometers covered. “ I will do my best but it may not be enough. If it passes, so much the better », concludes the Volkswagen driver. But, on a very fast track, Saturday's special, with 206 km on the program, presents no difficulty and should not allow us to see any significant gaps. Carlos Sainz almost won the race.