BREAKING: Carlos Sainz ANNOUNCES withdraw as heartbreaking s

Carlos Sainz Sr Withdraws from 2025 Dakar Rally After Major Crash

Defending Dakar Rally champion, Carlos Sainz Sr, has been forced to withdraw from the 2025 event following a significant crash during the second stage. The 62-year-old Spanish rally legend, driving a Ford Raptor, encountered a serious accident that left his vehicle with irreparable damage, ultimately ending his campaign.

Sainz, the father of four-time Formula 1 Grand Prix winner and 2025 Williams driver Carlos Sainz Jr, experienced the crash just 327 kilometers into the gruelling second stage of the rally. His vehicle rolled over after hitting a jump and landed on its roof, causing severe damage to the car’s roll cage, a critical safety component.

Despite the crash, Sainz and his co-driver, Lucas Cruz, were able to complete the challenging 48-hour stage on Monday. However, upon inspection, it was revealed that the roll cage had sustained damage beyond what could be repaired according to Dakar Rally rules. The FIA regulations strictly prohibit repairs to a damaged roll cage during the event, as it serves as a crucial safety measure to protect the driver and co-driver in the event of another accident. Continuing with a compromised roll cage could have led to severe consequences if a similar incident occurred again.

In light of this, the decision was made to withdraw the car from the remainder of the 2025 Dakar Rally. A statement from Ford confirmed the withdrawal, citing the FIA regulations and the extensive damage to the safety structure. “Due to the damage sustained to the safety cage of vehicle #225 during the accident in the first part of the 48-hour stage of the Dakar Rally 2025 and in accordance with FIA regulations, it has been decided to withdraw the vehicle,” the statement read.

This marks a disappointing end to Sainz Sr’s latest Dakar Rally campaign, less than a year after he claimed his fourth victory in the prestigious off-road event. In 2024, driving for Audi, Sainz bounced back from a cracked vertebrae suffered during the 2023 rally to secure another win, adding to his already illustrious rallying career. Over the years, Sainz has accumulated 26 rally victories and two World Rally Championship titles, cementing his status as one of the greatest drivers in the sport.

The 2025 Dakar Rally had featured a star-studded lineup, with Sainz Sr competing alongside other renowned names such as nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb and DTM and rallycross title-winner Mattias Ekström. However, the Spaniard’s hopes of adding a fifth Dakar crown to his record have now come to an abrupt halt.

On a brighter note for the Sainz family, Carlos Sainz Jr is preparing for his first season with the Williams Formula 1 team in 2025. The father and son duo recently shared a special moment at Ferrari’s Fiorano test track in Italy, following the conclusion of the 2024 Formula 1 season. After the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, both Sainz Sr and Sainz Jr took to the track behind the wheel of Ferrari’s F1-75, the car in which Sainz Jr claimed his first-ever Formula 1 victory at the 2022 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. It was a symbolic farewell for Sainz Jr, who had spent several seasons at Ferrari before making the switch to Williams for the upcoming season.

While Sainz Sr’s Dakar journey has come to a premature end, the motorsport world will now turn its attention to the younger Sainz as he embarks on a new chapter in his Formula 1 career.