Carlos Sainz Returns to Rallying with Rally1 Car

Global Motorsport News
Author: Mustafa Odabaşı
Creation: 26 October 2026

With 188 starts, Carlos Sainz, the most experienced driver in WRC history, is returning to the wheel of the Ford Puma Rally1 at retirement age.

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Surprises are an old tradition in the world of rallying, but this year's news from Spain doesn't fit the classic definition. Carlos Sainz - two-time World Rally Champion and, with 188 starts, the most experienced factory driver in WRC history - is once again getting behind the wheel of a top-level rally car in his retirement years: The Ford Puma Rally1. What's more, he will do it at an event organized in his honor. Let me say this as someone who has followed this profession from within for years: The 1990 and 1992 champion returning to the stages with today's technology is one of rallying's most elegant closing sentences in recent years. But what is the story behind this comeback, and how big is the distance between Sainz's old machines and today's Rally1?

At Which Rally Is Carlos Sainz Returning, and With Which Car?

Sainz, together with his co-driver Luis Moya, will drive the Ford Puma Rally1 at the Rally de Asturias Histórico event. The event is a tribute to the Asturias-born legend; that gesture of honor is even embedded in the name of the event. Sainz makes no secret of his excitement about this rally, as statements made ahead of his comeback show.

Key Highlights

Sainz, with 188 starts, is the most experienced factory driver in WRC history; the closest follower trails him with 159 starts.
His career includes 2 WRC championships and 26 WRC victories; in 2020 he was voted the greatest of all time.
Rally1 cars provide up to 30% extra power via their hybrid system and lack a center differential.
Sainz won his 4 Dakar victories with 4 different brands; he now competes in rally-raid with Ford.

The symbolic weight of the legend returning to the stages in a Rally1 car goes beyond the numbers. Sainz's WRC debut came at the 1987 Rally Portugal, behind the wheel of a Ford Sierra Cosworth. Nearly forty years later, his return to rallying at the wheel of another Ford is a historical symmetry we cannot call a coincidence. In the intervening period, he drove the era's leading machines, notably Toyota, Lancia, Subaru and Citroën; his name became a benchmark in rallying's marketing and technical dimensions.

How Does the Rally1 Car Differ from Sainz's Old WRC Machines?

Sainz'ın şampiyonluk yıllarında hayali bile kurulmayan hibrit ünite, bugün Rally1 araçlarında yüzde otuz kadar ekstra güç sağlıyor.

The difference between the cars from the era when Sainz won his championships and today's Rally1 machines isn't immediately obvious at a glance, but it is vast in mechanical depth. The Rally1 specification was introduced in 2022, and its first generation launched the era of hybrid boosting in top-level rally cars.

Hybrid unit: The system, which boosts engine torque, offers up to 30% extra power while driving. In the years when Sainz won his championships, such a technology didn't even exist on the drawing board.
No center differential: Rally1 cars have only two axle differentials. The center differential that defined the four-wheel-drive character of the old-generation World Rally Cars was removed in the new specification; this changes the car's understeer behavior noticeably compared to the past.
Engine: The 1.6-liter displacement is retained, while significant technical changes were made compared to the previous World Rally Car regulations.

According to Toyota's technical director Tom Fowler, Rally1 cars have the capacity to be as fast as, or even faster than, the old World Rally Cars. For a 63-year-old driver, this is not a matter of arm timing and reflexes, but of setup and adaptation; it was never claimed that Sainz was weak at this.

The End of the Hybrid Era

The interesting part of the story is this: The 2026 season marks the final WRC season for non-hybrid Rally1 cars. The first recorded use of the non-hybrid format had already taken place before; in 2025, Mārtiņš Sesks raced a Rally1 car without a hybrid unit on his Rally Poland debut. The specification of the car Sainz will drive matters in this context - the car sits right in the middle of a transition period. Part of the rally community is also debating the removal of hybrid; some argue that regulations without hybrid units actually offer a more authentic rally experience, and that the old World Rally Cars could deliver better results with certain drivers than today's regulations. This debate is part of a broader issue concerning WRC's technical direction after 2027.

Where Is Sainz Racing Today?

This rally appearance is part of the 63-year-old Sainz's active career; he is not retired in the full sense of the word. He joined Ford's factory World Rally-Raid Championship program in 2025 and is currently racing in rally-raid with the Ford Raptor alongside his new co-driver Oliveras. In October 2026, he finished the Rally of Morocco in the overall standings; a stage where he got stuck in the dunes and lost more than four minutes determined the fate of the race.

His Dakar record is a textbook in itself: 4 victories, 4 different brands - 2010 Volkswagen, 2018 Peugeot, 2020 MINI, 2024 Audi. In 2024, he became the first person to win the Dakar with an electric vehicle, alongside Audi and Lucas Cruz. In January 2026, he entered his 19th Dakar Rally; he is aiming for a fifth victory and a fifth manufacturer with Ford M-Sport. That is an impressive display of endurance even for someone who has swallowed the dust of this business.

The F1 Side

Another detail worth remembering is that Sainz continues as a Williams driver in Formula 1 during the same period. In September 2026, at the Spanish GP at Madring, he was unable to complete the first half of the race due to seat damage, finishing on lap 43; despite making two pit stops after the crash, the car was irreparably damaged. Williams' performance drop in 2026 has been one of the most talked-about topics of the season. In short, Sainz is one of the few athletes whose calendar includes F1, rally-raid, and now a WRC Rally1 appearance.

What Does This Appearance Mean for the Rally World?

WRC's popularity has been a frequently debated topic in recent years; Sainz himself has openly voiced his views on the sport and his proposed solutions. In this context, an event being organized in his honor and him taking to the stages in a Rally1 car can be read as a measure of the value given to the sport. The fact that a young driver who hosted Sainz with the M-Sport Puma Rally1 on a PR day in Ireland shared the surreal moment he experienced in front of the legend is a barometer of the respect this community holds for such encounters. The rally fan is a spectator who values the past; and Sainz's return speaks directly to that value.

On the other hand, it must also be noted: This is not a comeback, but a one-off and honorable outing. There is no question of Sainz returning to the WRC full-time; Rally de Asturias Histórico carries the nature of a tribute. The exact date and stage details of the event have not yet been clearly reflected to the public; this information will become clearer as the event approaches.

Conclusion: The Legend's Attempt in the Modern Machine

Carlos Sainz appearing at Rally de Asturias Histórico with the Ford Puma Rally1 brings the two ends of rally history together on the same stage: the champion of the 1990s and the top-level machine of the hybrid era - and soon, the non-hybrid era. For Sainz, this is not a nostalgia trip; it is a natural continuation of a career spanning 188 starts, 26 victories, 4 Dakar championships, and an ongoing rally-raid career. For spectators, seeing today's technology operate in the hands of an old master promises one of the most enjoyable rally moments of recent years. In the past, we used to call his driving style so meticulous that we'd describe it as surgical; we will see the same hand signature in the modern machine - the difference being that this time, part of the torque is delivered by an electromagnetic unit.