Nasser Al-Attiyah and Fabian Lurquin continue to lead the Dakar Rally for The Dacia Sandriders as round one of the 2026 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship entered its second week today (Sunday).
With an overall margin of 6m10s following their Stage 6 victory on Friday, Al-Attiyah/Lurquin resumed their bid to win the 48th edition of international motorsport’s toughest event after Saturday’s Rest Day in Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian capital.
Faced with the daunting prospect of running as the first crew through today’s 459 timed kilometres, Al-Attiyah/Lurquin tried extremely hard but were ultimately unable to prevent the rival pairing of Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings from getting ahead. The South Africans had started Stage 7 11 positions further back and enjoyed far more favourable conditions, both in terms of driving and navigation, as a result.
Although Al-Attiyah/Lurquin valiantly defended their advantage for more than three quarters of the stage with a standout performance in their Dacia Sandrider, they were forced to concede their advantage after 375 kilometres. However, their loss of first place was only temporary and they will start Monday’s eighth stage around Wadi ad-Dawasir leading by 4m47s.
Starting one place behind Al-Attiyah/Lurquin on the run south to Wadi ad-Dawasir – a total distance of almost 877 kilometres – Sébastien Loeb and Édouard Boulanger also grappled unfavourable stage conditions like their team-mates ahead. Nevertheless, they coped admirably to go a strong sixth quickest and maintain sixth in the overall order. In the process they reduced the deficit to Al-Attiyah/Lurquin from 17m36s on Friday to 15m39s at the end of today’s action.
Lucas Moraes and Dennis Zenz impressed throughout Stage 7, mastering the mainly sandy and relatively fast-paced tracks, which also featured sections of dense shrubbery lining the route, to set the fifth fastest time and move from 10th to ninth in the overall ranking. Defending world champion Moraes, who is making his debut for The Dacia Sandriders and partnering Navigator Zenz for the first time, reached 417 kilometres in third place before crossing today’s finish line in fifth, his third top-five result of this year’s Dakar Rally, after picking up tyre damage in the closing 25 kilometres.
Cristina Gutiérrez and Pablo Moreno found their ultimate pace hampered by a brake issue, which will now be investigated by The Dacia Sandriders’ technical team at the bivouac in Wadi ad-Dawasir. The Spaniards also dropped time due to tyre damage and were restricted to the 20th quickest run. They remain in the top 15 overall but slip from 13th to 14th.
In addition to Moraes/Zenz joining its all-star line-up for 2026, The Dacia Sandriders has made several key upgrades to its event-winning Dacia Sandrider, which continues to be powered by sustainable fuel from Aramco and equipped with BFGoodrich tyres. The upgrades are focused on weight reduction, cooling efficiency, visibility, reliability and driver comfort. Meanwhile, a refreshed colour scheme, which includes more orange for a sharper look, was revealed ahead of the Dakar Rally.
KEY QUOTES
NASSER AL-ATTIYAH (QATAR), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « The stage was not easy, tricky, with a lot of sand from the beginning, a lot of navigation and stony places, a lot of trees and we took the left corner [bodywork] completely off from a tree. Mattias [Ekström] did a good stage, he start from behind and tomorrow he will open. But we did a really amazing stage. We opened all day, we don’t know the reference, but Fabian did a good navigation. We are quite happy, and we try to keep going like this. The road position for tomorrow is good, we can win good time. For the marathon stage we can make a good strategy because these will be tough also. »
CRISTINA GUTIÉRREZ (SPAIN), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « The stage was not really clean for us. We had some issues with the brakes and had to pump the brakes several times before braking hard, so it was not very comfortable during all the stage. Also, we had one puncture, so it was a little bit difficult for us. But we are at the finish line and tomorrow is another long day. The marathon stage is coming and I am looking forward to it. »
SÉBASTIEN LOEB (FRANCE), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « The stage was good but very different from the other ones. It was super-fast. We had some dunes for 70 kilometres in the beginning of the stage where it was a bit slower for sure. The rest was really open and fast, we had a good stage no problem at all. »
LUCAS MORAES (BRAZIL), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « Top five scores one more point for The Dacia Sandriders and I’m happy with the performance. The first 200 kilometres was a bit messy in the dust. Then we had clean air and managed to push a little bit more. Only one puncture towards the end, I think 25 kilometres from the finish, but I’m happy with the performance, happy for the team and I’m starting in a good position for tomorrow. »
FABIAN LURQUIN (BELGIUM), NAVIGATOR, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « A good day for us but we all know now that it’s pretty hard, time-wise, to have a good pace while you’re opening the stage. But still we made a good job, a clean stage for us. Our Dacia Sandriders was on the top again so we’re happy and still leading. We didn’t lose too much time today, that was the aim. We hope for a better start position tomorrow to make up some time. »
DAKAR RALLY STAGE 7 RESULTS (UNOFFICIAL) – Riyadh-Wadi ad-Dawasir
Stage distance: 459km Liaison distance: 418km Total distance: 877km
5th Lucas Moraes (BRA)/Dennis Zenz (GER), 3h49m39s
6th Sébastien Loeb (FRA)/Édouard Boulanger (FRA), 3h49m49s
11th Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Fabian Lurquin (BEL), 3h51m46s
20th Cristina Gutiérrez (ESP)/Pablo Moreno (ESP), 3h57m35s
DAKAR RALLY PROVISIONAL ULTIMATE CATEGORY OVERALL RESULTS AFTER STAGE 7 (UNOFFICIAL)
1st Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Fabian Lurquin (BEL), 28h10m15s
6th Sébastien Loeb (FRA)/Édouard Boulanger (FRA), +15m39s
9th Lucas Moraes (BRA)/Dennis Zenz (GER), +24m39s
14th Cristina Gutiérrez (ESP)/Pablo Moreno (ESP), +39m34s
DAKAR RALLY: THE BIG NUMBER
144: The 144-kilometre mark of Sunday’s seventh stage signalled the halfway point of the 48th Dakar Rally.
THE DAY AHEAD: STAGE 8, JANUARY 12
The event’s longest timed section at 483 kilometres should appeal « to the most versatile drivers, capable of setting a fast pace on off-road plateaus, navigating canyon crossings through vegetation and sudden changes in direction », according to the event organisers.
Stage distance: 483km Liaison distance: 238km Total distance: 721km
Linda Hirvonen,