Carlos Sainz and Nani Roma make a good start at Dakar 2026 on the scary stones

Carlos Sainz and his co-pilot lucas cruz they started Dakar 2026 On very good footing. Catalan sailors had already warned the MD: dakarthe perfect plan is to wander around the 6th or 7th position every day while others take more risks and give up time. This is a game of maximum effort, but at the same time you need to know how to manage the rhythm if necessary to avoid the victory stage. As “Monsieur Dakar” Stéphane Peterhansel used to say, winning a stage is a penalty. And in that context, Carlos is very positive both tactically and from a general classification point of view.. is the same as Nani Roma.

This stage 1 dakar, Measured kilometers: 300km or moreThe winner of this competition, which involved a difficult path through a stony and dry river, and a noticeable change of pace, alternating between stones and very fast areas, was: Written by MöbiusThe co-pilot was Mathieu Baumel, who returned to Dakar in early 2025 after an accident that required his right leg to be amputated.

strategic start

The Belgian driver became the first leader in the 2026 Dakar with MINI. In fact, Nasser could have won the stage outright, but he decided to take no risks and be confident in the delicate area and go at his own pace. He starts second, but even if he catches de Möbius, he will be forced to pull his car under pressure, as all his opponents are behind him.

Carlos Sainz also approached the final part with caution. I didn’t get a puncture, but I decided to pit for a new tire. And he managed his pace wisely to take 6th place in 1 minute 54 seconds. However, after the end of the stage, already in the evening, it turned out that he had received a 10-inch penalty (the same as his teammates Ekström and Gasly) for exceeding the permissible power at some peaks, which was very difficult to calculate. Thus, he finished with a time of 2:04. Things didn’t change much for Sainz, but things got better as he was interested in going further back.

Carlos will lose one place and start from seventh, but could potentially gain more time on stage two or better manage his pace to match the line of the cars in front of him.

So, Carlos and Lucas are in a very good position at this start, being over 2 minutes off the lead and without having to take too many risks by opening up the trackthe sixth car to start in Stage 2 this Monday. All the more so considering that El Matador had warned on Stage 1 that he had no interest in a “mega stage” and wanted to avoid being at the front of the track on Stage 2 at all costs. with lots of stones. He got away with it and lost a lot of time as a result. In fact, he is only 1′” 24 seconds behind one of his biggest opponents, Nasser Al Attiyah.

Nani Roma (and Alex Haro) and the Fords also got off to a strong start.and no punctures. Folgerol’s rider was 8th, 2 minutes and 37 seconds behind the leader.a great starting position for tomorrow and a very good starting option in the race for the crown.

I wasted even more time Sebastian LoebDespite a few punctures, that didn’t deter him from his big dream: winning the Dakar. This time, what happened in 2021 did not happen to him when Stone eliminated him. The Frenchman attacked last and made up some time, finishing 10th in 3 minutes 01 seconds.. You can attack in stage 2, but be very careful as you will open with victory in stage 3. There are a lot of unmarked paths, which can be difficult to navigate and to everyone’s detriment.

At the end of the special, the huge parity in this year’s automotive category is confirmed, Especially among Ford, Dacia and Toyota officials.. Only 5 minutes separate the top 15. can’t believe it. and in that 15th place goes to Christina GutierrezAlthough women in Burgos may have to perform backpacker duties; Loeb, Nasser, Moraes (11th) remaining dakarand that might stop him.

Catalan co-pilot oriol mena (Along with Botterill) placed 7th at 2’03”. Lia Sanzat the premiere Ebro In his first year in the top category, T1+, he finished 22nd, picking up the pace and going from bottom to top, avoiding problems and being able to continue climbing the remaining 12 stages of the Dakar. This is just the beginning. Isidore Esteve was 28th, 21 minutes and 25 seconds behind the leader.

meanwhile, Nandu Jubany He made a huge comeback in the prologue when he suffered an electronic problem with his car, which he will have to overcome over the next few days. On this day, he lost just over 30 minutes and remained in 46th place, but it was a good result despite the difficult conditions of starting late and in the dust.