Five-time Dakar winner Al-Attiyah is looking to defend his crown driving for Prodrive following a move from Toyota.
Speaking ahead of this year’s edition, which begins on Friday, Al-Attiyah was asked if he thought Audi would be a main threat.
Audi is set to benefit from an FIA balance of performance shift in the T1.U class for prototype cars using renewable energies – which includes the Audi RS Q e-tron E2 – that will see entries granted an additional 15kW, worth 21 horsepower.
It prompted a blunt reply: "Audi? I give them just three days and they will go home, you saw it in Morocco and Aragon after a hundred kilometres."
Three-time Dakar winner Sainz has now issued a retort to Al-Attiyah’s claims, stating "he [Nasser] is free to think".
