Nasser Al-Attiyah in a T1.2 feels a bit weird, but that’s his plan for the 2026 FIA World Baja Cup. At the press conference for the season-opening Saudi Baja, he confirmed he will race the MD Optimus in any bajas he enters while continuing with the Dacia Sandrider in the World Rally-Raid Championship.

However, the latter also depends on if Dacia will continue after winning the Dakar Rally with him earlier in January. His contract with the Romanian manufacturer and technical partner Prodrive runs through 2027.

Rumors have circulated about Dacia’s future since the Dakar victory. While team personnel and drivers have stressed they intend to run the full W2RC, reports indicate Renault Group might look to divest from rally raid due to financial struggles at the parent company; Alpine F1, for example, has been the topic of a potential sale in recent years.

Isnard in turn told Cross-Country Rally News that she “[doesn’t] know what the strategy is for the bosses in the Renault Group, but I am confident that we are doing a good job now”.

Al-Attiyah occasionally dabbles in different cars for bajas, such as when he raced a Taurus T3 Max in the Challenger class at the 2024 Baja Aragón. The Optimus, likewise, is a two-wheel-drive vehicle as opposed to the 4WD T1+ that his usual rides—the Toyota Hilux, Prodrive Hunter, and Sandrider—are.

His Optimus will be fielded under the Nasser Racing banner. Max Delfino, who served as Simon Vitse’s navigator at Dakar, will call the shots for Al-Attiyah.

“It’s a real honor for the whole team to see the car we developed with MD Rallye Sport take on a new chapter in the hands of Nasser,” said Vitse.

Featured image credit: Julien Delfosse / DPPI / ASO