Team Audi Sport's use of performance and innovation right up until the very end of the race shaped the 2023 Dakar Rally. The Audi RS Q e-tron, which utilizes an electric propulsion concept, finished in a podium position a total of 14 times across all 15 event days, including the prologue. In addition to this, the Audi drivers took the lead in the rally in Saudi Arabia, using the prototype vehicle for the first time over the course of three days.
During the final weekend in Saudi Arabia, Oliver Hoffmann, a board member for technical development at Audi, paid a visit to the motorsport team and praised all of their accomplishments. He said, "The pace of our innovative Audi RS Q e-tron was good right from the start and also showed at the end. Unfortunately, while we were in the desert, we experienced some terrible luck and many punctures. The group celebrated their successful completion in spite of the obstacles they had to overcome because of their outstanding performances. A spot on the podium was our objective. It continues to be the case, and there is no question that we will compete once more in 2024.
After the prologue of the world's toughest desert rally, Mattias Ekstrom and Emil Bergkvist were in the lead, but their teammates Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz took the lead for the next two days. Nevertheless, Audi lost precious time as a result of a string of 14 flat tires that occurred across all three driver teams over the first four desert stages. Further difficulties arose after Carlos Sainz wrecked his car in the scree of the third stage and again on the sixth stage. Sainz's suspension was broken in both incidents. In a similar fashion, a stone that was hidden by the sand and dust of the desert ended up destroying a suspension component on Mattias Ekstrom's car during the seventh stage. At this point in the race, Stéphane Peterhansel, a 14-time winner of the Dakar, was eliminated from competition. After driving down a dune, his vehicle landed with such force that the co-driver, Edouard Boulanger, complained of back pain and was transported to the hospital. Despite this, the drive and performance of Team Audi Sport at the bivouac, as well as the race truck team on the stages, are all the more impressive for having taken place in light of the circumstances. "Three stage results in the top three showed what was possible," says Stéphane Peterhansel. "The possibilities were endless. The day before they decided to retire, the French driver duo was still in a promising position, holding the overall second-place position. A second Audi driver tandem, this time comprised of Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz, followed close behind in fourth place. The Spaniard and his co-driver, Lucas Cruz, finished in the top three of the stage results on five different occasions before they retired from the race. Therefore, all of one's hopes were pinned on Mattias Ekstrom and Emil Bergkvist. The Swedes, who are only competing in their third Dakar Rally, have again prevailed as the best Audi team after mastering the challenging race that included more than 4,200 kilometers of special stage distance and approximately 8,900 kilometers of total distance. "It was a tough rally; we never gave up even after the high-time losses," said Ekstrom, who has won the DTM twice and the World Rallycross Championship once. When we didn't feel confident in the roadbook on certain days, we dialed down some of our speed. Otherwise, we compared ourselves to the leaders of the pack. With a lot of success, beginning with the ninth stage, the Scandinavians finished in the top four positions for the next six stages in a row. Even though they had to negotiate the difficult sand dunes in the Empty Quarter, Ekstrom and Bergkvist nevertheless managed to finish in third and second place, respectively, on the lengthy stage that did not include evening service on January 12 and 13. Throughout the entirety of the 2023 Dakar Rally, they finished in the top three of the stage rankings on a total of six occasions.
