Twenty-time Middle East Rally Champion will drive an M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 for the first time
Photography by Red Bull
Words by David Evans & Colin Clark
Nasser Al-Attiyah will make a sensational return to the very top of the World Rally Championship for next month’s season-closing Rally Saudi Arabia.
Al-Attiyah, who celebrated his 20th Middle East Rally Championship title this year, will drive an M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 at the Jeddah-based event – his first WRC outing in a decade.
While Al-Attiyah’s focus remains firmly on maintaining his unbeaten run of World Rally Raid Championships with Dacia in Morocco this week, he told DirtFish he’s been thinking about returning to rallying’s top-flight for a while.
“It’s been the last two weeks,” he said. “I was thinking about Saudi. First, I would like to thank the Saudi government. Saudi Arabia, we know, it pushing a lot for motorsport. If you see Dakar, Formula 1, Extreme E, there is plenty coming – and now we have the last round of WRC in Jeddah. This year [in May] we had the same stages [during Rally Saudi Arabia MERC] in the same condition. OK, the weather will be different in November, less hot.
Al-Attiyah's experience of rough gravel rallying will be invaluable when to M-Sport in Saudi Arabia next month
“And I will compete in Rally1 with the Puma. I was thinking I wanted to compete, but not in Rally2. The I said: “OK, I have good relations with Malcolm [Wilson, M-Sport managing director]. I will just phone him.” He said yes, they have a car available, it will cost this money. I said OK and we make the deal and now I will be part of M-Sport for the last round of the season.”
Al-Attiyah is no stranger to M-Sport’s factory team, having run with the British-based squad in 2013. He also drove for Citroën’s works team in 2012, regularly finishing WRC rounds in the top-five. Next month will, however, be his first time aboard a Rally1 car.
“I will test it in England,” he said, “just to see how it’s going. But I think maybe I can do some really proper tests before the race. If it’s allowed, we try to do our best. But I think, from my experience [of the Middle East], it will be really not big difference. The speed, yes, but I know what I will do. I will have Cándido Carerra co-driving with me, he did this year with me in the Middle East and won the Middle East Rally Championship. I like to work with him.”
Words:Colin Clark
Tags: Dakar, M-Sport, Middle East, Nasser Al-Attiyah, Rally Saudi Arabia, WRC
Publish Date October 13, 2025 DirtFish 
https://dirtfish-editorial.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/2025/10/Qf8MLBxv-SI202510110005-780x520.jpg October 13, 2025
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