The story of Cristina Gutierrez is as special as it is unique, and in addition to being one of the references in Spanish motorsport, she will become one of the three drivers who will be in the new Dacia project for the Dakar Rally in 2025. The driver from Burgos will make the leap from the Challenger category to the Ultimate with the aim of making the manufacturer a winner, and will have in the same team with two motoring legends such as Sebastien Loeb and Nasser Al=Attiyah.
Motorsport.com was with her during the world’s toughest race in Saudi Arabia, and she talked about what it meant for her to move to the elite, sharing a team with the Frenchman and the Qatari, women in competition and much more.
Q: Looking ahead to 2025, you will be with Dacia, how do you see the project and how do you approach it?
A: Dacia [I am] very excited about it. I think it will be from March when the tests start in France and then in Morocco, and shortly after that we will have the first official race, which will be in Morocco in October, so I am very happy, because I will be with great drivers like Nasser [Al-Attiyah] and Seb [Loeb]. I’m going to enjoy myself, I’m going to learn, and I’m looking forward to giving my all with them.
Q: That’s what I wanted to talk about, the drivers, what is it like to share a team with legends like Sebastien Loeb and Nasser Al-Attiyah?
The first time they told me about the project, they told me about Seb, and it was already incredible, because I had the opportunity to work with him in Extreme E, and I spent two amazing years with him. He is a very open driver, and when he has to explain something to you, he doesn’t keep anything to himself, he is very kind to me, we get along very well, and he is very attentive to my steps and what I do, so I can consider him as a sports father.
Months went by and they told us that there would be a third driver, among the best. They didn’t tell me which one, but when they told me it was going to be Al-Attiyah, it was like, ‘Really?’ and I felt like the ham in the sandwich between the two great drivers. They are the two best drivers on the grid right now, and to have them in the same team, I think it’s incredible.
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
#306 Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team MCE-5 Taurus T3 Max: Cristina Gutiérrez, Pablo Moreno Huete
Q: Dacia is a winning project. Do you see Cristina Gutierrez winning the Dakar Rally?
A: Winning the Dakar is…
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