MADRID, Jan. 19 (SportsFinding) –
The Spanish pilot Carlos Sainz (Mini) has assured that he has earned “the right” to decide his future, highlighting that so far he is being competitive and not going to the tests “to sunbathe”, and has explained that his victory in the Dakar Rally, “the third with a different brand” knows “better” for having achieved it in a tight finish with the Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel and the Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah.
“It is time to rest, that we have had a lot of stress. We have earned the right (to decide their future) and that we are respected. There will be people who wonder why I keep running, and there are the images. I do not cheat no one. I go and do things well, I am not going to sunbathe, “said Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas airport, where hundreds of fans waited for him, his son, Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz.
The Madrid, who highlighted the “overwhelming” reception and said that he has been “more than four hours answering WhatsApp messages”, stressed that “now is not the time” to talk about it. “I will have time to think about it. I am still having fun, because if not, I would not continue. I have prepared a lot for this race, perhaps the most in recent years, and did not paint well after last year's Dakar,” he said.
Sainz also stressed that his third victory in the Dakar comes with the third different team, Mini, after getting it with Volkswagen and Peugeot. “I would like to highlight the victory that is the third with a different brand. Lucas and I put a lot of effort into the development of the car and the victory makes me very excited,” he said.
In this sense, it came out of the criticism of Toyota, which criticized the organization to allow the 'buggies' to mount a 39 mm air restrictor, by the 37 mm of the 4×4. “There has been talk of the superiority of the 'buggies', but last year things were not good and nobody complained. On that occasion, nobody complained in our team about the regulations, all we did was work. The maximum speed was the same. There was much talk from Toyota and Al-Attiyah, “he recalled.
In addition, he stressed that the fact that the Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel and the Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah remained in the fight until the end makes the victory know “better.” “The fact that Peterhansel and Al-Attiyah did not loosen made the pace go thoroughly from the first minute to the last. It tastes better,” he acknowledged. “It has been a battle to three, which is more battle, because if one fails, the other remains,” he added.
In this sense, he was excited by the tribute paid by his two main rivals upon his arrival at the finish line on the last day. “The feeling is recognizable. The final table is very beautiful, because it reflects respect. We know how we played it,” he said.
On the other hand, he explained that he and his co-pilot Lucas Cruz, who thanked him for his “fundamental” work for victory and his “patience” for enduring it, have spent the entire raid “without air conditioning”, to get rid of 16 kilos, and he recognized that in this race the temperature has been “lower” than in South America and that it has “come better”.
“AFTER THE ANTEPENULTIM STAGE WE SAID:” THIS DAKAR WE WON YES OR YES “”
The three-time champion of the Dakar marked the penultimate stage as the most critical moment of the test, when his pursuers stayed within 24 seconds. “We turned the page, and the next day we went fast, we left a little of all the traces. Then the day came when we got the 18-minute advantage, which gave us peace of mind, because in the penultimate we had all the dunes and they came to us very good to manage the advantage, “he said.
“At the end of the second to last stage, where all the advantage we had was lost, it was a difficult day, but the next day we said:” We will win this Dakar yes or yes. “Traditionally the last stage is transitional, but we They said the last 50 kilometers were very difficult to navigate, they were complicated, but we went pretty well and without problems. Until the last night we were worried, “he continued.
“The competition is like that, if you do not stay at home. One of the complications of the Dakar is that it is very long, it is 12 days in which you lie down thinking about what happened and what will happen the next day,” he continued.
On the first edition in Saudi Arabia, Sainz hopes it will be the beginning of a series of changes in the Asian country. “I have done exactly the same as in all the Dakares, except to eat ham. I have not noticed anything. If the Dakar serves for the country to initiate an internal change of customs and to open up a little more, perfect,” he concluded.
For his part, Lucas Cruz stressed each of the victories with Sainz “has its flavor”, and explained that living with him was “perfect.” “I found myself very comfortable,” he said. “Having a good environment inside the car is essential for things to go well,” he said.
Although there have been “new rules”, such as “the delivery of the 'roadbook' 15 minutes after leaving”, the Barcelona recognized that “on the right side, everything is very easy”. “I am with a person who has been everything in the car competition and that makes you focus only on your work. It is a pride to be with Carlos, I enjoy it,” he concluded.
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