On January 3, Carlos Sainz begins the defense of his third Dakar crown.
He will do it in Jeddah, in the desert of Saudi Arabia, where he won his last title in the dawn of 2020. 12 stages, 7,646 kilometers of route and 4,767 time trials.
This time Fernando Alonso will not be around, who will share a caravan in Formula 1 with his son.
However, Sainz is convinced that the Asturian will try his luck again in the Dakar when he leaves the cars for good.
"I am convinced that he did, because he enjoyed it, he had a good time, he did great, and I am convinced that when his return to Formula 1 ends, that he will decide when he wants to finish it, one of his objectives will be to return to the Dakar," he said Sainz during a press conference at the headquarters of Mini, his brand on the Dakar, in Madrid.
Alonso, double Formula 1 world champion, debuted last season in the queen of rallies with
Marc Coma
as co-driver and at the wheel of a Toyota, finishing the overall thirteenth four hours and 42 minutes behind Sainz's winning time, after having achieved a second place in the eighth stage and two quarters, in the third and last.
And he added about the two Spanish options in the F1 World Cup: "It is a luxury to have two drivers in Spain, one in Renault like Fernando, double world champion, another like Carlos, younger, in a team like Ferrari. For all Motor racing fans, it's going to be a very interesting year, and I'm sure both of us are going to give us joy. Hopefully they'll coincide on a podium. "
The Dakar goes on
Despite the doubts, the Dakar will start as normally as possible, despite the pandemic.
"They have reassured us that the Dakar is indeed going ahead, it is going to be done and that they will seek the appropriate measures so that the people who are going to travel can do so," said Sainz.
The Madrid driver, three-time Dakar world champion and two-time world rally champion, explained that both he and his co-driver
Lucas Cruz
will travel to Saudi Arabia on December 28 on a charter flight chartered by the organization, and insisted that he received a call from the organization that "reassured him a lot."
In this sense, he was confident that the organization will do "everything possible so that people arrive on time", including the pilots who suffer the greatest restrictions due to the pandemic, and did not oppose a postponement either.
"The measures they decide will be welcome as long as it is for the good of the race and to help those who have had problems, I do not see any impediment," he added.
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