Dakar Rally is one of the toughest off-road endurance races on the motorsport calendar. To cover 500-600 miles daily for a fortnight through rough terrain ain’t a job for amateurs. Even rally and endurance race veterans can struggle and encounter problems on the way. A similar issue has happened with 4-time Dakar champion Carlos Sainz Sr. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr’s father had seemingly retired from Dakar 2023 after some medical issues and a car tumble. Though, he is back in the race again.

According to Mirror Sport, Sainz Sr. had a roll with his Audi RSQ e-tron buggy on a sand dune. This forced the Spaniard to call for help as he also suffered some chest pains as per reports by the official Dakar Rally Twitter account.

They further reported, “He [Carlos Sainz Sr] has been airlifted to the hospital in Riyadh to undergo further medical check-ups.” But, minutes later, they informed that Sainz Sr was looking to get back in the rally. They stated, “New episode in the @CSainz_oficial saga on stage 9: the Spaniard asked the medical helicopter on its way to the hospital to turn back and take him to his car.”

Apparently, Carlos Sr. pulled off a Hollywood-esque action, demanding the helicopter to turn around in mid-air. On return, the veteran driver met his co-driver, Lucas Cruz, again at the site of their buggy, looking to continue the race. The Dakar 2023 has reached Stage 11 as things stand, with Sainz’s incident happening during Stage 9 a couple of days back.

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Although, Sainz Sr. had almost gotten into trouble earlier in Dakar 2023 due to his son. Carlos Sainz Jr. had tried to help his father by closing the door of his Audi buggy after some repairs. Nevertheless, Sainz Sr. has always been supportive of his son’s F1 career and is also friends with his fellow Spanish F1 mate Fernando Alonso.

The Spanish connection between Carlos Sainz Sr, Fernando Alonso, and Carlos Sainz Jr.

Being from Spain, Fernando Alonso has naturally grown up watching Carlos Sainz Sr. become a veteran of the rally. Alonso always admired the daring nature and different challenges Carlos Sr. took on. Thus, when he got a chance after his 2018 retirement; Fernando jumped on the opportunity to race in Dakar.

Alonso participated in the 2020 Dakar rally, the first edition held in Saudi Arabia. While Sainz Sr. won Dakar 2020, Fernando finished 13th. Still, the 2-time F1 champion has grown a good bond with the Sainz family over the years since he became a star in F1. He is good friends with Sainz Sr. and thus becomes a close mentor for Carlos Jr. in the F1 paddock.

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While the trio is never seen together; their Spanish connection and bond are quite strong. So, Carlos Sainz Jr. would love to follow the paths of his father and Fernando to gain a similar reputation as those two. Whether the Ferrari driver would try rally or endurance as Alonso did is quite difficult to predict. Though, for now, he aims to scale the heights of the F1 championship.

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Sainz Jr. being in Saudi to support his father for Dakar 2023, is an amazing example of their bond. He would certainly love his father to cheer and support him too, as an ambitious yet unpredictable F1 begins for Carlos.