The top of the Dakar leaderboard changed dramatically over stages three and four, as early leader Nasser Al-Attiyah retired and problems hit Peugeot’s star duo.
Reigning victor Stephané Peterhansel returned to form to take the stage three win ahead of Carlos Sainz and Sebastien Loeb in a Peugeot 1-2-3. That third-place finish ensured Loeb retained his lead, with Sainz second and Peterhansel third.
The Spaniard’s Dakar lasted barely a day longer, crashing out on Stage four. Loeb fared only slightly better, engine issues costing him 30 minutes. Cyril Despres handed Peugeot another stage victory, though, to assume the overall lead, beating MINI’s Mikko Hirvonen. Peterhansel couldn’t capitalise on his team-mates’ misfortune, himself losing 15 minutes after a wrong turn but he recovered enough for second in the overall standings.
Fernando Alonso's name was once again near the top of an F1 timesheet during Friday testing. Mark Hughes is hoping that he'll still be there when racing starts
Honda branding is back on the Red Bull F1 engine cover and the company is down as a power unit supplier for 2026. But there's no guarantee that it will continue, despite plenty of interest from other teams, writes Chris Medland
In an age of heavily censored online launch events, Ferrari made a bold statement by actually running its new F1 challenger in front of a crowd of roaring tifosi
Drivers, fans and viewers were overjoyed to return to Suzuka for the first time in three years, so what went wrong? There's one overriding factor...