70% of the Saudi Arabian route is new to the drivers, and at 350-500 kilometers (roughly 217-310 miles), the organizers have made the stages between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf longer and more difficult than last year. Sven Quandt of Q Motorsport noted that this year’s route “contains really high dunes,” adding that it remains to be seen how good Audi’s opponents are: “None of them showed their full capabilities in 2022. Maybe we won’t see who is really strong until two, three, or four days later in January.”
The team boss also recounted how a year ago, the cars had to be shipped by plane because they were completed so late. This year, despite an all-new body and numerous performance and reliability improvements, the cars have already been sent by ship.