The project was for three years and will not be extended. Dakar 2024 is the last chance for Audi to achieve victory with its revolutionary RS Q e-tron, as it will not return next year.
The assurance comes from Audi Sport director, Rolf Michl, who told AS newspaper: ‘The decision [to enter Dakar] was always for three years. Therefore, the third Dakar will be the last. I can clearly confirm that this is our last Dakar and, in any case, we will not compete in a Dakar in 2025.’
A triumph will not change the plans: ‘The dimension of such a decision has many factors. Victory would be fantastic, but the decision depends on many parameters,’ said the responsible person.
As known, Audi is preparing to enter Formula 1 in 2026, a program that had no influence on the decision regarding Dakar and off-road, according to Michl: ‘That project changed everything and it is clear that the entry into F1 in 2026 led to the discussion of the entire portfolio and it was clearly decided that attention should focus on that project due to a demanding timeline. But that does not mean that it had any effect on the Dakar project or anything like that. […]. There was a planned commitment of three years for the Dakar project and that will be fully fulfilled with this participation, so we are here.’
