Carlos Sainz is a four-time Dakar champion at 61 years of age
Together with his indispensable co-driver Lucas Cruz, Sainz once again established himself as one of the greats of Spanish sport. Although Carlos Sainz did not win a single stage, he constantly saw more competitors fall around him.
His team-mates Stefan Peterhansel and Matthias Ekström also suffered mechanical problems, which helped the driver to overall victory in the final week of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia. The Audi driver completed the 420 km 11th stage between Al'Ula and Yanbu 1 hour and 27 minutes ahead of second-placed Guillaume de Mevius of Toyota.
The final classification of the Dakar 2024 in cars is thus as follows:
Sainz did not add to his record of stage wins on the Dakar. This is surprising, as only three Dakar winners won without a single stage victory before the driver from Madrid: the Marro brothers in 1982, Jutta Kleinschmidt in 2001 and Peterhansel in 2007.
Three years ago, Sainz decided to innovate with electric vehicles and embarked on an unknown project with Audi. The first two attempts were hampered by problems with the car's youth, which led to too much being demanded of him. In 2023, a terrible accident in the Saudi Arabian desert left Sainz with several broken vertebrae. After recovering, he was confident that "third time's the charm".
In fact, Sainz has become only the second car driver, after Peterhansel, to win the Dakar with four different brands. The driver from Madrid won with Volkswagen, Peugeot, Mini and now Audi in 2010, 2018, 2020 and 2024 respectively. He also became the first driver to win the Dakar with a hybrid car.
How does the Audi RS Q e-tron work?
The Audi RS Q e-tron has an electric motor and an advanced drive system that is completely different from the conventional vehicles competing in the Dakar. Although it is a complex design, it has proven its reliability in the two previous editions.
The Audi RS Q e-tron's powertrain consists of two electric motors on each axle, a high-voltage battery, an efficient four-cylinder gasoline engine and a power converter consisting of a generator. The electric motor is similar to that of Audi's Formula E cars, but in this case the regulations limit the power output to 303 kW (412 hp).
As for the mechanical layout of the Audi RS Q e-tron, electric motors on the front and rear axles are responsible for moving the vehicle. The motor runs on energy stored in a 52 kWh battery installed in the centre of the vehicle. Just behind the seats is a power plant that produces electricity to power the engine.
The generator is a 2.0 TFSI petrol engine that always runs between 4,500 and 6,000 rpm to maximise energy efficiency. The petrol engine uses ReFuel, an environmentally friendly fuel that is made from some waste and reduces CO2 emissions by up to 60%.
The importance of traction
To ensure that the drive systems work in harmony and always deliver the right amount of power to each wheel, Audi uses limited-slip differentials on each axle, one for each drive element connected to each engine.
Since the axles are not mechanically connected, the heart of the system is a virtual center differential, and Audi-developed software is responsible for distributing the torque between the axles. Virtual Center Differential offers virtually unlimited implementation and configuration options. It also saves weight and space on the drive shaft and mechanical differential.
Last but not least are the tyres. The Dakar 2024 uses an evolved version of the BF Goodrich tyres launched last year. These tyres are now puncture resistant. A new anchoring element has also been added to provide more space to throw stones more easily.
What next?
Carlos Sainz says his future depends on the answer he gives when he returns home to Madrid, looks in the mirror with relaxed wrists and a calm mind. "One day I'll say that it doesn't pay off, that I can't, that I'm not fast enough, that I'm not having fun," he said. And after Audi's farewell, the Ford project could come, also in the long term with an old acquaintance of the WRC as Malcolm Wilson and M-Sport. In any case, Carlos Sainz has earned the right to decide what he wants.