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Sebastien Loeb’s Dakar nightmare: punctures force rally legend to crawl in crushing defeat

Harry Bright by Harry Bright
January 7, 2026
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 3 mins read
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Sebastien Loeb’s Dakar nightmare: punctures force rally legend to crawl in crushing defeat

Sebastien Loeb and Edouard Boulanger compete during stage 02 of the 2026 Dakar Rally from Yanbu to Al Ula, Saudi Arabia on January 05, 2026. // Kin Marcin / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202601050175 // Usage for editorial use only //

Title: Sebastien Loeb’s Dakar Dream Crashes in Puncture-Filled Nightmare Stage

In an electrifying twist at the 2026 Dakar Rally, rally legend Sebastien Loeb found himself battling against the odds as disaster struck during Stage 3. The Frenchman, once a formidable contender sitting in seventh place, saw his aspirations for a Dakar victory take a catastrophic nosedive after suffering a nightmare of punctures.

The 421-kilometer stretch through the rugged terrain of Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia, proved to be a treacherous battleground, with Loeb declaring he was forced to operate his Dacia at a mere “20%” of its potential. What was meant to be a day of glory swiftly turned into a fight for survival as he limped across the finish line in a disheartening 25th position, a staggering 25 minutes and 25 seconds adrift from the stage winner Mitch Guthrie of Ford.

Loeb’s performance was a crushing blow to his ambitions, plunging him down to 12th in the overall standings, now trailing over 16 minutes behind the new overall leader. “It was a really difficult stage,” the 51-year-old lamented, expressing his frustration with the harsh conditions. “Actually, it’s just not suited to our cars. We’re driving at 20% of the car’s potential just to avoid punctures, and we still get punctures anyway.”

After suffering two punctures within the first 100 kilometers, Loeb’s strategy to navigate the course with caution backfired. “I’d already had two punctures after 100 km, whereas yesterday I had none. Today I started with the same mindset, being careful, and… punctures again. You don’t see them coming, and then once you’ve got two punctures and 300 km still to go, with no spare wheel left, you end up driving almost at a standstill for the entire stage, and that’s it,” he explained with evident disappointment.

Adding to the drama, fellow Dacia driver and five-time Dakar champion Nasser Al-Attiyah also faced a difficult day, slipping from first to 10th place after finishing the stage in 19th, just three minutes ahead of Loeb. Al-Attiyah now finds himself grappling with an 11-minute deficit in the overall classification, a daunting challenge with ten stages still to go. Yet, in a twist of fate, he expressed a strategic optimism, stating, “If we see the results today, I’m really happy for tomorrow because of the road position. Tomorrow, it will be very, very hard for everyone.”

While the Dacia duo endured setbacks, Lucas Moraes emerged as a beacon of hope for the Renault Group brand, clinching fourth place and becoming the highest-placed Dacia driver in the overall standings, now sitting in sixth. Following closely behind was Cristina Gutierrez, a former Extreme E champion, finishing in fifth and showcasing the relentless spirit of the rally competitors.

With the Dakar Rally’s treacherous terrain revealing its unforgiving nature, Loeb’s harrowing experience serves as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by even the most seasoned rally drivers. As the competition heats up, all eyes will be on how these competitors regroup and tackle the impending marathon stage, where fortunes can change in an instant. The Dakar Rally is far from over, and the drama is only just beginning.

Tags: 100-acre-wood-rally2025-dakar-rallyDacialucas-moraes-2Nasser Al-Attiyahperil-renaultssebastien-loeb-en
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