Dakar Rally: Ford signs Carlos Sainz Sr. away from Audi

The first look at the 2025 Dakar Rally Ford Raptor contender is here, with Ford Performance also revealing that two of the four drivers behind the wheel will be Carlos Sainz Sr. and Nani Roma.

Sainz seeks his fifth Dakar Rally title in his return to Ford, a relationship forged in the beginning of his nearly 40-year racing career. Two-time Dakar winner Roma extends his partnership with Ford and M-Sport after the 2024 effort driving the Ford M-Sport T1+ Ranger.

Active testing in the 2025 Ford Raptor has begun as Ford Performance looks to successfully complete of one of the toughest races in the world.

“The scale of our ambitions in off-road racing are unparalleled in Ford’s recent history and nothing is more clear in that ambition than our challenge to take the Ford Raptor to the legendary Dakar rally,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsport.

“Taking on such an enormous challenge requires the best engineers, designers, team members, navigators and drivers, and in Nani Roma and Carlos Sainz Sr, we have two of the most experienced and successful drivers in Dakar history. The Ford Raptor is already showing promising signs in testing and having two of the best drivers in the world with us for the ride gives us confidence for the continued development of the truck.”

“It is such a pleasure to welcome Nani back to the team after a great run this year in the Ranger T1+ in Dakar,” said Matthew Wilson, M-Sport director and Dakar team manager. “His experience and knowledge were invaluable to us and I am sure we will continue to learn from him as this exciting program moves forwards.

“Carlos is a legend of our sport and one of the most successful drivers across all formats of off-road racing. His decision to return to Ford and M-Sport after so many years is a huge boost for the team and it is great to have him back in the extended Ford family ready to take on the huge challenge that Dakar presents. With testing well underway, we have a great chance now to learn from the best and push the development of the Ford Raptor forward even further.”