Dakar 2024 – Audi, a victory on the gong for the Dakar program

Finally… and phew! These are surely the two exclamations that the leaders of Audi Sport must have uttered, at the end of this Dakar 2024 won by the duo Carlos Sainz – Luca Cruz. Yes, the Audi RS Q e-Tron now enters the list of the biggest, most difficult and most legendary racing races. rally-world raid. Perhaps the year we least expected it, in fact!

The German clan was far from radiating optimism at the start of the event. Stéphane Peterhansel himself told us his concern two weeks ago, explaining that the team had “lost a lot of human resources since the 2023 Dakar. (…) All the designers of the car are no longer there. ».

Some opponents, like Nasser Al-Attiyah, gave Audi “only three days and they will return home”. Fifteen days later, it must be admitted that the brand with the four rings has silenced more than one... In Audi's staff, it is a mixture of pride, happiness but above all relief which dominates, while the German firm has just succeeded in its bet with electric/hybrid technology after three years of work.

Audi has “writes a page in the history of motorsport”

“It is difficult to express this victory in words. We wrote a page in the history of motorsport, exclaims Rolf Michl, director of Audi Motorsport. It will take a few more days to absorb it. This sport is also about luck. We missed it last year. We had an amazing team that never gave up, even when we faced setbacks. If you trust your team, they can even do the impossible. We overcame this challenge through hard and long-term work. »

“Our winners, Carlos and Lucas, are both exceptional, he adds. Carlos is not only a top driver, but a legend with a big heart who cares about people, immerses himself in every detail and is never satisfied with himself. It is an honor and a credit that he competed for our team. Likewise, this success would not have been possible without the conscientious work and skills of Lucas. A big thank you to the whole team. »

Above all, Audi can be satisfied with having justified many years of development – ​​and the sums that go with it – thanks to this almost unexpected victory. Unexpected, because the German team was not spared from problems throughout this Dakar, far from it. The RS Q e-Tron further suffered from its overweight, particularly on the stony stages. However, the reliability was better than the two previous representations.

Time for F1… and what about F1?

“It was a sporting competition that lasted three years. Today, we have made history with this concept and have established ourselves against previous propulsion systems. This shows that Audi is one step ahead of the competition, says Sven Quandt, team principal of Q Motorsport. This electric propulsion concept, which we spent three years improving, was exactly what was needed. And the competition was extremely exciting. The last days of the rally were particularly difficult. We are very relieved with the victory of Carlos and Lucas. When Sébastien Loeb got closer and closer over the last few days, I was nervous. It was only when the wind changed on the penultimate day that I felt a little more relaxed. Teamwork worked perfectly for us. The spirit was just good. You can win with people like that. »

A victory on the gong, while Audi Sport should, in all likelihood, concentrate all its efforts on the program F1 for 2026. The 2024 edition was the year or never for the brand with the rings, and the bet paid off. Like the diesel engine 24 Hours of Le Mans, or Quattro four-wheel drive technology in WRC, Audi was once again a pioneer in motorsport on this Dakar.

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