02/01/2026

These are leading contenders for the 2026 Dakar Rally

The 2026 Dakar Rally is shaping up to deliver one of the most closely fought battles in recent years. Ford and Dacia arrive in Saudi Arabia determined to apply the lessons they learned on their debut last year with the aim of ending Toyota’s dominance in the world’s most prestigious rally-raid. Toyota isn’t standing still either, and has introduced an all-new car to maintain its position at the front.

The rally itself features several changes, with both the route and the format having been altered by organiser ASO to add a fresh challenge.

Following the ceremonial start and Prologue on 3 January, competitors will tackle nearly 8,000km across two weeks, crossing some of the most unforgiving terrain in the Middle East.

Here’s a list of drivers considered to be the favourites for top honours in the Ultimate category:

Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Overdrive Toyota)

#201 Overdrive Racing Toyota: Yazeed Al Rajhi, Timo Gottschalk

Photo by: A.S.O.

One of the prime contenders for the 2026 Dakar Rally is reigning champion Yazeed Al-Rajhi. The Saudi billionaire had always been rapid in cross-country rallying, with Dakar’s move to his home country in 2020 cementing his position as a frontrunner. But last year he made the biggest strides, combining his raw pace with improved maturity to secure a maiden win against factory competition. Back at the wheel of a Toyota and supported by the highly experienced Overdrive customer team, he has all the ingredients required to defend his crown.

That said, the 44-year-old’s build-up to this year’s event has been far from ideal. A heavy crash at Baja Aragon in April left him with fractured vertebrae, forcing a lengthy spell on the sidelines. He returned to competition in Portugal with a subdued 22nd-place finish before his preparations suffered another setback when he retired from Rally Morocco.

Henk Lategan (Toyota)

#211 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota: Henk Lategan, Brett Cummings

Photo by: TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

Toyota’s charge in Dakar will be spearheaded by Henk Lategan. At 31 years of age, he is one of the younger drivers in the field, but with four Dakar appearances already under his belt, he appears ready to finally seal the crown. The South African proved in 2025 that he is capable of fighting for the overall victory, as he went toe-to-toe with the more experienced Al-Rajhi and claimed two individual stage wins along the way. Missing out on the top spot by just under four minutes will have only sharpened his determination to go one better this time around.

Toyota has a new weapon in Dakar this year in the form of the GR DKR Hilux, which features a lighter tubular chassis and reinforced transmission. The Japanese manufacturer has won Dakar three times in the last four years, and the updated model based on the Hilux pick-up will help stave off competition from newer rivals.

Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia)

#200 The Dacia Sandriders Dacia: Nasser Al-Attiyah, Boulanger Edouard

Photo by: A.S.O.

If there is one driver the Dakar field can never afford to underestimate, it is Nasser Al-Attiyah. The Qatari has been a relentless winning force over the past decade and arrives in 2026 determined to reclaim the crown after two comparatively difficult campaigns in 2024 and 2025. While Stephane Peterhansel’s record of eight outright victories in cars remains some distance away, Al-Attiyah could enhance his legacy by winning the rally with a fourth different manufacturer after his previous triumphs with Volkswagen, Mini and Toyota. Further, he is just one stage win away from leapfrogging both Peterhansel and Ari Vatanen to become the most successful Dakar driver in that metric.

Al-Attiyah will also be able to benefit from an improved Dacia Sandrider, which won in both Abu Dhabi and Morocco last year after a rather underwhelming debut in Dakar at the start of the 2025 season.

Carlos Sainz Sr (Ford)

#225 Ford M-Sport Ford: Carlos Sainz Sr., Lucas Cruz

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Carlos Sainz Sr. shows no signs of slowing as he prepares for his 19th Dakar Rally start at the age of 63. Sainz became the oldest driver to win the world’s most prestigious cross-country rally when he won the 2024 edition at the wheel of the Audi RS Q e-tron. His 2025 outing was cut short by a crash on Stage 2, but he is back this year to gun for a fifth overall victory.

Winning Dakar with Ford would bring his career a full circle, having made his WRC debut back in 1987 at the wheel of a Cosworth-powered Sierra. Sainz also never managed to win a WRC title with the American marque (his 1990 and ‘92 championships were won with Toyota), so a Dakar triumph with Raptor would be one of the most satisfying achievements of his illustrious career.

Sebastien Loeb (Dacia)

#219 The Dacia Sandriders Dacia: Sebastien Loeb, Fabian Lurquin

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Rally legend Sebastien Loeb arrives at Dakar with renewed momentum after closing out the 2025 World Rally-Raid Championship with three consecutive podiums, including a victory in the season-ending Morocco Rally. That should give him some encouragement after his most recent Dakar outing ended early due to car damage. Loeb will also have a new co-driver in the form of Al-Attiyah’s former navigator Edouard Boulanger. After a run of misfortune earlier in 2025, Loeb felt a reset was required, leading to a split with Fabian Lurquin, who has moved across to partner Al-Attiyah in a direct swap between the pair.

It remains to be seen if Dacia can build on its recent success and take on Toyota on the biggest stage, but a maiden Dakar victory for Loeb would be huge for his career, especially after Sebastien Ogier drew level with him on nine World Rally Championship titles in 2025.

Mattias Ekstrom (Ford)

Mattias Ekstrom, M Sport

Photo by: DPPI

Mattias Ekstrom’s recent Dakar form has been so convincing that he is now viewed less as a two-time DTM champion and more as a genuine rally-raid specialist. The Swede has shown a remarkable ability to adapt to new disciplines, a trait underlined in 2022 when he beat his more experienced Audi team-mates to finish ninth overall on debut.

That adaptability was again on display in 2025 when, after ending a decades-long association with Audi, he guided the factory Ford team to the podium, finishing behind only the dominant Toyotas of Al-Rajhi and Lategan.

How Ekstrom builds on that impressive performance will be one of the key storylines in 2026, particularly if Ford can produce a package capable of taking the Hilux head-on in Saudi Arabia.

Honourable mentions

Beyond the established leading sextet, several other drivers on the entry list are capable of springing a surprise in 2026. Toyota driver Seth Quintero, for instance, will be a much more potent force in his third outing in the Ultimate category. Also stepping into a bigger role is two-time bike champion Toby Price, whose impressive Dakar debut in the car category with Overdrive last year earned him a promotion to Toyota’s factory line-up.

Another driver to watch out for is Lucas Moraes, who won the 2025 W2RC title with Toyota and has since joined an expanded four-car Dacia operation alongside Al-Attiyah, Loeb and Cristina Gutierrez.

Ford’s young gun Mitch Guthrie complemented Ekstrom well in 2025 and looks well placed to challenge for individual stage wins this year. His team-mate Nani Roma, a Dakar winner on both two and four wheels, should also never be discounted.

Outside of Toyota, Ford and Dacia, two smaller manufacturers could regularly mix in the top 10 this year: Century and Mini. At Century, Matthieu Serradori and Brian Baragwanath have a history of punching above their team’s weight, while Mini also fields proven talents like Guillaume de Mevius and Lionel Baud.

Finally, ‘Mr Dakar’ Peterhansel will also line up at the start in Yanbu on 3 January after missing the event in 2025, competing for Land Rover’s Defender brand in the Stock class.