RALLY DAKAR 2025

Nasser Al-Attiyah's redress

After losing victory in the fifth special stage due to a penalty, Nasser Al-Attiyah sent a letter to Mohammed Ben Sulayem to criticize the organization of the Dakar 2025. Five-time champion is in fourth place overall

Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah, from Dacia, remains dissatisfied with the 2025 edition of the Dakar, and expressed his frustration in a letter to the president of the FIA, his compatriot Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

Five-time Dakar champion Al-Attiyah was given a 10-minute penalty after winning the fifth special stage last Thursday. The sanction took away his advantage and dropped him to second place, behind Seth Quintero. He also contested the FIA's decision to prevent Carlos Sainz and Sébastien Loeb from continuing in the rally after rollovers that damaged the cars' protective structure.

“Yes, we sent the letter saying that we had to defend our position, our 10 minutes. This is a mistake, but we are working towards change. We need the right people there. I don’t like the Dakar. I go about my day-to-day, but every time something strange happens. I don’t like it,” Al-Attiyah told the English magazine Autosport.

The Dakar Sunday, which saw the victory of Brazilian Lucas Moraes, was marked by the reduction of the special stage due to an error in the route, in which even the event director had to fly over the stretch in a helicopter to help the competitors.

“I don’t miss anything, but when you come to race, you have to enjoy it. We don’t need to have politics involved or anything that is unfair. When you set a rule, you enforce it. You don’t need to change everything every day. We are not in school,” added Nasser.

Al-Attiyah, from Dacia, is currently in fourth place in the 2025 Dakar, 21 minutes behind leader Henk Lategan. The competition enters its decisive week with the eighth special, between Al Duwadimi and Riyadh, this Monday.

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