Nasser Al-Attiyah, the master of the sands, leads the first half of the world’s toughest and most demanding rally. The Portuguese remain undeterred, and everything is still possible.
Nasser Al-Attiyah, the master of the sands, leads the first half of the world’s toughest and most demanding rally. The Portuguese remain undeterred, and everything is still possible.
This is undoubtedly one of the most demanding and competitive editions of the Dakar Rally. The 48th running of the event has continuously raised questions over the top positions, with minimal gaps separating the main contenders. For now, the “Desert Fox” Nasser Al-Attiyah, at the wheel of a Dacia Sandrider, is setting the pace, arriving in Riyadh in the lead with just over a six-minute advantage over Henk Lategan’s Toyota Hilux GR. Once again, Al-Attiyah is demonstrating that experience and consistency are decisive, even though the margins between the leading drivers are, this year, far smaller than in previous editions. After six stages, Al-Attiyah has claimed only one stage win, but has consistently shown an intelligent approach, managing his pace in a constant ebb and flow, clearly targeting a sixth Dakar victory — the first for Dacia. Punctures have been a defining feature of the Saudi rally, causing frequent changes in the overall standings during the first week.
While Dacia’s leadership appears secure thanks to Al-Attiyah’s credentials, Ford has been one of the highlights of the event, with the impressive Raptor placing several drivers among the front runners. Behind Al-Attiyah (Dacia) and Lategan (Toyota), three Ford drivers occupy the next positions, with Nani Roma, Carlos Sainz and Mattias Ekström all remaining firmly in contention. The same applies to Mitch Guthrie, who has already secured two stage victories in six days and currently sits seventh, just behind the Dacia of another highly experienced veteran, Sébastien Loeb. With fluctuating favourites and very small gaps for a rally of this nature, the Portuguese pairing of João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro continue to push hard to climb the standings. After reaching the rest day in 12th position, around 30 minutes off the lead, João Ferreira finished second on Stage 7, moving up to 11th overall, now 28m59s behind leader Nasser Al-Attiyah.
There is also strong Portuguese representation in the other categories, despite constant battles to overcome numerous issues on extremely demanding stages with a very high level of difficulty. SSV Rally Raid world champion Alexandre Pinto has faced several problems, as has veteran Hélder Rodrigues, who used the rest day to install a new engine. João Monteiro and Gonçalo Guerreiro are close to the SSV podium, while in the Challenger category Pedro Gonçalves and Hugo Magalhães hold ninth place after the long stages, which feature particularly challenging navigation. In Challenger, Pau Navarro’s Taurus is setting the pace, while Brock Heger’s Polaris leads the SSV category, as does Rokas Baciuška’s new Defender Dakar in the Stock class. Also worthy of note is the participation of Maria Luís Gameiro, alongside Spain’s Rosa Romero, who continue to overcome all adversity at the wheel of a Mini JCW. In the trucks, Paulo Fiúza’s excellent performance alongside Vaidotas Žala remains a highlight, as they continue to fight for podium positions. In the motorcycle category, the lead is held by Daniel Sanders on a KTM, followed by Ricky Brabec on a Honda and another KTM ridden by Luciano Benavides. The second week of the 2026 Dakar promises even more excitement and difficulty, with uncertainty over the classifications set to remain until 17 January.