Five-time champion Nasser Al-Attiyah has been stripped of a smashing stage win in the Dakar Rally because of a missing spare wheel in the Saudi desert.

Dacia driver Nasser Al-Attiyah bounced back from mechanical issues to win the fifth stage of the 2025 Dakar Rally on Thursday and climb up to fourth in the overall standings. Having lost half an hour with a puncture and a broken rear suspension on Wednesday,

Carlos Sainz's Dakar Rally ended on Monday after the defending champion's damaged Ford Raptor was ruled out after just two stages of the gruelling two-week race in the Saudi Arabian desert.

Lithuanian driver Rokas Baciuška has proved he’s a contender in the Dakar Rally after winning the longest stage in the Saudi Arabia desert.

Carlos Sainz's defence of his Dakar Rally title ended prematurely on Monday when the Spaniard was forced to pull out after the marathon 48-hour stage won by Lithuanian driver Rokas Baciuska."It's the end of the adventure for four-time Dakar winner and defending champion Carlos Sainz and his co-driver Lucas Cruz.

Saudi Arabian Yazeed al-Rajhi won Wednesday's fourth stage of the Dakar Rally, in which five-time winner Nasser al-Attiyah dropped to seventh overall. The special stages between Al Henakiyah and Al Ula in Saudi Arabia included 415km of racing.

With the way the Saudi Arabian dessert has been fiercely biting back at the 2025 Dakar Rally drivers and riders, with the notable premature exclusions of Carlos Sainz Sr. and Sebastian Loeb from the competition,