The 2025 Dakar Rally is set to take place from January 3, and this season, there will be two new manufacturers taking part in the T1+ category — Ford and Dacia. Both teams will be aiming for the top spot with a formidable team, led by previous Dakar Rally winners in the category with multiple titles. Let’s take a closer look at Team Ford and Team Dacia and their driver lineup.
2025 Dakar Rally: Dacia
Dacia already tasted victory at the Rallye du Maroc with five-time Dakar champion Nasser Al-Attiyah leading the charge with co-driver Edouard Boulanger. For the Qatari, sand dunes are his speciality and after a bad outing in the 2024 rally, he is back eyeing the top spot with the Dacia.
Joining Al-Attiyah is another legend, the nine-time WRC champion, Sebastian Loeb. The Frenchman is also chasing the top spot after having consistent results in the previous Dakar outings but never the win. He will be joined by co-driver Fabian Lurquin in the navigator seat.
Finishing the three-man team is a woman — Cristina Gutierrez, who has been promoted from RedBull’s junior off-road team to the T1+ category. Gutierrez was Dakar’s second-ever female winner in the Challenger category and in 2025, she aims to rack in more titles in the elite class with co-driver Pablo Moreno.
2025 Dakar Rally: Ford
Ford has an impressive lineup as well, with Carlos ‘El Matador’ Sainz leading the charge. With multiple titles in WRC and Dakar, the Spaniard is aiming for his fifth Dakar win with a fifth manufacturer. He will be joined by co-driver Lucas Cruz and his teammates are equally formidable in the upcoming rally.
The next man to watch out for is Nani Roma, a former Dakar winner in two and four-wheels. Roma will be joined by Alex Haro as co-driver and the duo’s best finish was second place at the last South American Dakar, and this year, they are giving it all for Ford to take the victory.
The two Spaniards will be joined by former Audi driver, Mattias Ekstrom and co-driver Emil Bergkvist. Ekstrom has shown consistent pace in the sand dunes in the previous Dakar outings and this year, like all the names we’ve seen so far, will be aiming for the title.
Last, but not least, is Mitch Guthrie Jr, who has been promoted to the elite class from the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team. Guthrie Jr’s impressive consistency and his runners-up result in the previous Dakar has earned him the keys to a T1+ Raptor for the upcoming rally. He will be joined by co-driver Kellon Walch to finish on the top of the list.
