Dakar Rally 2024 Results: Carlos Sainz Earns Audi's 1st Win; Father of Star F1 Driver

Carlos Sainz, the father of Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz Jr., won the 2024 Dakar Rally on Friday in Saudi Arabia to give Audi it's first-ever victory in the race.

Sainz, who has now won the race four times, finished one hour, 20 minutes and 25 seconds ahead of Guillaume de Mevius to claim the title. He broke his own record as the oldest winner in Dakar Rally history at 61 years old.

The Spaniard also won the race in 2010, 2018 and 2020. However, he was racing for different manufacturers in each of those races—Mini, Volkswagen and Peugeot.

"To be here at my age and to stay at the level, you need to work a lot beforehand. It doesn't just come like that," Sainz said after the race, according to BBC.

"It shows that when you work hard, normally it pays off."

"I'm proud, relieved and happy, obviously, of what he has achieved," Sainz Jr. said of his father after the race. "He is incredible at his age and this project was his dream and he made it happen."

The win is particularly impressive for Sainz, who was forced out of the 2023 Dakar Rally after he fractured his back when his Audi rolled over while driving over a dune.

The only racers to win the Dakar Rally more times than Sainz are Qatar's Nasser Al Attiyah, who has won five titles, and France's Stephane Peterhansel, who has won eight titles.

The Dakar Rally is considered one of the toughest motorsport races in the world. That said, it's unclear if Sainz intends to return to defend his title next year.

"At the moment, I want to enjoy this victory and I will think about my future in the next weeks," Sainz said after the win.