Carlos Sainz signs for Ford: rally champ set for 2025 Dakar challenge 

Former World Rally Champion and four time Dakar winner Carlos Sainz Senior is returning to Ford for 2025, with the son of the current Ferrari Formula 1 driver bidding for his fifth title in the desert behind the wheel of Ford Performance’s Ranger Raptor.

Sainz returns to Ford, and the M-Sport team who are developing and running the Dakar competition car, with whom he won back-to-back Spanish Rally Championships in a Sierra RS Cosworth in 1987 and ‘88. It will be the fourth time he has driven for the team. 

The two-time World Rally Champion had contested the WRC in the Escort RS Cosworth and Escort WRC car in 1996 and 1997 before returning to the fold to team up with Colin McRae in the Focus WRC car between 2000 and 2002. 

Ford’s Dakar adventure begins in 2025 with Sainz being joined by two-time Dakar champion Nani Roma. The pair will have by two additional drivers, who will be confirmed in due course, as teammates.

Testing is already well underway with the Ford Ranger Raptor Dakar machine. The Ford Performance Dakar team is lead by M-Sport founder Malcolm Wilson’s son, Matthew, who has led the team in the 2025 Ranger Rapotor’s design and development from the ground up. 

“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 Wilson, M-Sport director and Dakar team manager. “His experience and knowledge were invaluable to us.

“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” Wilson added. 

Sainz is no stranger to rally raid events and the Dakar, having first competed in 2006 and won the event four times in four different cars: Volkswagen Race Touareg (2010),  Peugeot 3008 DKR Maxi (2018), Mini John Cooper Works Buggey (2020) and the Audi RS Q e-tron in 2024. 

“I’m very excited by this new Dakar Rally project, to go back to working with Ford for the fourth time, and to return to M-Sport, to return to Malcom who I know very well, it’s really great to be back. My history with Ford goes all the way back to ‘87, and I think I was Malcolm’s [Wilson, founder of M-Sport] first driver, his first ever factory driver, back in the day, and I’m very proud of that” explained Sainz.