Overview
- Al‑Attiyah leads the car classification by roughly 15 minutes over Nani Roma after Stage 12, putting a sixth Dakar title within reach.
- Brabec tops the motorcycle standings by 3 minutes 20 seconds over Luciano Benavides after executing a start‑order strategy that set up his stage win.
- The rally ends Saturday with a 105–108km special around Yanbu, a format that typically curbs major time swings.
- Mattias Ekström overtook Sébastien Loeb for third overall in cars, with only 29 seconds separating them heading into the finale.
- Nani Roma broke a front axle during the penultimate stage before teammate Romain Dumas provided parts so he could reach the bivouac without penalty.