Overview
- Mattias Ekström led the 22 km Prologue in Yanbu in 10:48.7, finishing eight seconds ahead of Ford teammate Mitch Guthrie in the manufacturer’s first Dakar one-two.
- The top 10 from the Prologue earn the right to select their starting slots for Sunday’s first stage, with times not carrying to the overall classification.
- Guillaume de Mevius (Mini) placed third, Nasser Al‑Attiyah (Dacia) fourth, Seth Quintero (Toyota) fifth, Yazeed Al‑Rajhi (Toyota Overdrive) sixth, and Carlos Sainz Sr (Ford) eighth.
- Sébastien Loeb (Dacia) was 17th after running in dust, and Henk Lategan (Toyota) dropped to 47th with a puncture; 72 T1+ cars started the rally.
- The Dakar runs January 3–17 as the W2RC season opener with double points, with Stage 1 a 518 km Yanbu loop featuring a 305 km special.