Red Bull star ruled OUT of 2025 race in huge shock

Carlos Sainz Senior and Jos Verstappen in conversation — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Off The Track

Red Bull star ruled OUT of 2025 race in huge shock

A champion has received a massive blow at the start of 2025

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Wednesday 8 January 2025 17:57

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Carlos Sainz Sr has been ruled out of a 2025 race in a huge shock at the Dakar Rally.

The 63-year-old signed with Ford for their 2025 programme, with the manufacturer and Sainz Sr also being linked with Red Bull.

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Sainz Sr is most famous for his two titles in the World Rally Championship, which he claimed in 1990 and 1992.

Whilst the champion may be retired from the WRC, Sainz Sr has competed in the Dakar Rally since 2006, which he won for the fourth time with Audi last year.

Carlos Sainz Sr is a 2x World Rally champion

Sainz Sr is also the father of F1 driver Carlos Sainz

Sainz Sr ruled out of 2025 Dakar Rally

The 2025 Dakar Rally marks the Spaniard’s 19th appearance, but he has been ruled out of the rest of the competition in a huge shock.

Sainz Sr sustained damage during Stage 2 of the event, where his car rolled over and landed on its roof.

Whilst he managed to return and finish the stage, the FIA have since inspected the car and determined that Sainz Sr cannot compete further due to damage to the car’s roll cage structure.

The elimination marks a huge blow to Ford with Sainz’s team-mate Nani Roma already out of contention, in the manufacturers first full-fledged year in the event.

Ford issued a statement which confirmed why they have been ruled out of the remainder of the Dakar Rally, and claimed no repairs could be made to that part of the car.

“Due to the damage sustained to the safety cage of vehicle 225 [Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz] during the accident in the first part of the 48-hour stage of the Dakar Rally 2025 and in accordance with FIA regulations, it has been decided to withdraw the vehicle,” the team wrote.