Motorsports
Sixth Time Lucky
Nasser Al-Attiyah sealed his sixth Dakar Rally car title in Yanbu on Saturday after a controlled final stage, while Argentina’s Luciano Benavides clinched the bike crown by two seconds in one of the closest finishes in recent memory.
Driving a Dacia, Al-Attiyah entered the final 105km stage with a comfortable buffer and avoided mistakes to finish ninth on the day, enough to secure overall victory by almost 10 minutes over Spain’s Nani Roma in a Ford. Roma’s teammate Mattias Ekstrom won the last stage and completed the overall car podium in third.
The win gave Al-Attiyah his sixth Dakar car title after previous victories in 2011, 2015, 2019, 2022, and 2023. The 55-year-old also brought his career Dakar stage win total to 50 during the rally. Competing with Belgian co-driver Fabian Lurquin, he took control of the standings early and stayed clear of late drama.
“We’ve worked very hard since last year. I might not be showing much emotion yet, but it’s there. We are so happy to win,” Al-Attiyah said at the finish.
For Romanian manufacturer Dacia, the victory came at only its second Dakar attempt and delivered its first overall win in the event.
Al-Attiyah now sits alone in second place on the all-time Dakar car winners list, moving ahead of Ari Vatanen and Carlos Sainz, who both have four titles. Stephane Peterhansel remains the benchmark with eight car wins.
“This is my sixth victory. I still need to break Peterhansel’s record,” Al-Attiyah said.
Last year’s champion Yazeed Al Rajhi retired earlier in the rally due to mechanical problems.
In the bike category, Benavides secured his first Dakar title after finishing second on the final stage aboard a KTM, edging Honda rider Ricky Brabec by two seconds overall. Brabec, a two-time Dakar winner, lost time near the finish after taking a wrong line.
“I’ve dreamed of this moment my whole life,” Benavides said after the result was confirmed.
Brabec had been on course for a third title before the navigation error in the closing kilometers. Benavides said the opportunity appeared late in the stage and he committed when it mattered.
“Even yesterday it seemed impossible, but I still felt it could happen,” he said. “I saw the opening and I went for it.”
Spain’s Edgar Canet won the final bike stage, while Tosha Schareina finished third on the day and third overall.
The victory added another chapter to the Benavides family history at Dakar, following earlier wins by Luciano’s older brother Kevin.
“Nine years in the Dakar and my first win,” Benavides said. “My brother and I are making history. It’s a dream come true.”
Nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia were taken to hospital after a high-speed crash while leading the Rally of Finland on Saturday.
Ogier was traveling at around 130 kph when he lost control of his Toyota on a series of turns along a forest dirt road. The car rolled several times before hitting a tree.
Both men managed to get out of the vehicle without assistance before they were transported to a hospital in Tampere for precautionary examinations, according to the World Rally Championship.
Toyota assistant team principal Juha Kankkunen said he had spoken with the crew following the accident.
“Seb was more shocked than anything else, nothing broken,” Kankkunen told Rally TV.
Ogier held a 20-second advantage when the crash ended his rally.
The accident handed the lead to Toyota teammate Sami Pajari, who entered the final day 46 seconds ahead of Oliver Solberg. World championship leader Elfyn Evans was running third.
“There are still two long stages to do and anything can still happen,” Pajari said.
McLaren’s first victory of the 2026 Formula One season showed that the championship fight is far from settled.
Lando Norris recovered from a poor opening lap to win the Hungarian Grand Prix ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes championship leader Kimi Antonelli. The result also exposed costly mistakes at Ferrari and raised questions about whether Mercedes can maintain its early advantage after the summer break.
Here are three key takeaways from the Hungaroring.
Ferrari squanders a major opportunity
Ferrari appeared to have the fastest car on Friday, but Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton could only finish fourth and fifth.
Leclerc lost ground with a poor start from second on the grid. Hamilton received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, adding to an earlier sanction for impeding Oscar Piastri during qualifying.
Ferrari’s choice of soft tires, pit-stop timing and a late stop during a virtual safety car period also hurt Hamilton’s race. Verstappen gained another place when Red Bull successfully used an undercut.
“It’s not a good Sunday when you were 1-2 on Friday,” Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said. “We made too many mistakes.”
Hamilton has now collected four penalties in three races. His latest sanction handed third place to Antonelli and left the seven-time champion 50 points behind the Italian after 11 of 23 rounds.
“You can’t make these kinds of mistakes if you want to challenge for a title,” Hamilton said.
Ferrari also trails Mercedes by 72 points in the constructors’ standings, making its missed opportunity in Hungary even more costly.
Norris proves the fight is not over
Norris delivered a controlled recovery after losing positions at the start. His pace and tire management helped him finish 15 seconds ahead of Verstappen for his first win of the year.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes Norris has become a more complete driver since winning last season’s championship.
“Lando is much more confident,” Stella said. “He’s much more aware of the tools that he has in his driving and how to deploy these tools.”
The victory reduced Norris’ deficit to Antonelli to 91 points. That remains a considerable gap, but McLaren’s upgraded car could give the defending champion more chances during the second half of the season.
Hungary also suggested that Mercedes no longer enjoys the clear performance edge it held earlier in the year. McLaren has introduced the first of two major upgrade packages, while Red Bull remains close enough to take advantage when its rivals struggle.
Mercedes needs an answer
Antonelli extended his championship lead with third place, but the Italian admitted that Mercedes could not match Norris on outright pace.
“Lando had the upper hand this weekend, even on us,” Antonelli said. “On pure pace, I couldn’t challenge him.”
Mercedes endured a difficult weekend by its standards. George Russell suffered another technical problem, while team principal Toto Wolff acknowledged that rival teams had narrowed the gap.
Antonelli now wants upgrades that can help Mercedes defend its advantage. Last season offers a warning, as Piastri once held a 34-point lead but failed to win the championship.
The summer break will give each team time to assess its next move. When racing resumes, development may prove as important as driving.
Budapest, Hungary | World champion Lando Norris recovered from a difficult opening lap to claim his first victory of the season in a commanding Hungarian Grand Prix performance for McLaren.
The 26-year-old Briton crossed the line 15 seconds ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to secure the 12th win of his Formula One career. Mercedes driver and championship leader Kimi Antonelli completed the podium.
Norris started from pole position but ran wide at Turn Two during a frantic opening lap, allowing McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to take the lead. Verstappen moved into second while Lewis Hamilton climbed to fourth after passing Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.
George Russell endured a disastrous start when his Mercedes entered anti-stall on the grid. He dropped from sixth to 20th as Antonelli moved up to sixth.
Ferrari began the race on soft tires while most of the field chose mediums in scorching conditions. Air temperature reached 31 degrees Celsius, with the track measured at 51 degrees.
Hamilton began losing grip by Lap 10 and stopped four laps later in an attempt to undercut Verstappen. Red Bull responded on the next lap, but the Dutchman rejoined behind Hamilton before reclaiming the position with a move into Turn One.
The pit-stop cycle briefly placed Antonelli in front before Piastri resumed the lead ahead of Norris. McLaren brought the Australian in first after Norris requested a stop, leaving the Briton at the front by the halfway point.
Norris held a five-second advantage over Verstappen before making his second stop on Lap 40. He returned in third, ahead of Piastri, who had narrowly avoided a heavier collision with Carlos Sainz at Turn Two. The Williams driver received a five-second penalty for the incident.
Antonelli inherited the lead after Verstappen stopped again, although Norris quickly closed the gap on fresher tires. The McLaren driver passed the young Italian at Turn One on Lap 46 and immediately began building a comfortable advantage.
McLaren’s hopes of another one-two finish disappeared when Piastri slowed with gearbox trouble and retired. His stoppage triggered a Virtual Safety Car, allowing Norris, Hamilton and Leclerc to switch to soft tires.
Norris controlled the closing laps to repeat his Hungaroring victory from the previous season. McLaren has now won the Hungarian Grand Prix for three consecutive years.
“The car was unbelievable today,” Norris said over team radio. “It’s probably the best pace I’ve ever had. This track is good for us.”
Verstappen described the result as unexpected after struggling with his Red Bull throughout the weekend.
“We had to work very hard for this,” he said after securing another podium finish.
Antonelli held off Hamilton to finish third and increase his championship advantage over the Ferrari driver to 50 points. Hamilton received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane but retained fifth behind Leclerc.
Isack Hadjar placed sixth in the second Red Bull, followed by Russell and Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson. Nico Huelkenberg earned Audi’s first points of the season in ninth, while rookie Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10.
