Two-time World Rally champion Carlos Sainz will drive a latest-generation Ford Puma Rally1 car this weekend in Spain during the Rally de Asturias Historic. The event is paying tribute to the 64-year-old Spaniard’s motorsport career.
Tribute Event and Puma Rally1 Outing
Sainz will reunite with his long-time co-driver Luis Moya for the asphalt event centered around Pravia. As reported by Autosport.com, the rally consists of 10 competitive stages covering 126.66 kilometers.
Announcing the outing on social media, Sainz expressed his gratitude to the organizers, as well as Ford and Red Bull for making the Puma Rally1 drive possible. He noted that it has been many years since he last competed on asphalt and mentioned that the Puma Rally1’s homologation is scheduled to expire at the end of this year.
Career Background
During his WRC career, Sainz achieved 26 victories and 97 podium finishes across 196 starts, competing for manufacturers such as Toyota, Subaru, Lancia, Ford, and Citroen before stepping away from the series at the end of 2005.
Since ending his full-time WRC career, Sainz has focused on rally-raid competition, winning the Dakar Rally four times in 2010, 2018, 2020, and 2024. He joined Ford’s factory World Rally-Raid Championship program for 2025 and currently sits ninth in the season standings.
