Al-Attiyah Wins Qatar Baja, Clinches 2026 Middle East Cup
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and navigator Max Delfino won the 2026 Qatar International Baja on October 31, turning a controlled final stage into a 29-minute victory and securing the FIA Middle East Baja Cup driver and co-driver titles with one round remaining.
The Qatari-French crew completed the event in 5 hours, 12 minutes and 54.1 seconds in a two-wheel-drive Optimus MD Rallye. Francisco Barreto and Paulo Fiúza finished second in a Toyota Hilux IMT Evo, 29:08.7 behind, while Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari and Oriol Mena placed third in a Can-Am Maverick R, according to the FIA’s official event report.
How Al-Attiyah and Delfino built the win
Al-Attiyah started the final day with a 6:15.3 advantage after Friday’s 336.45-kilometer selective section, which the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation described as the longest stage of the 2026 FIA World Baja Cup season. The crew’s task on Saturday was less about chasing every second and more about protecting the rear tires and navigating cleanly through the dunes.
That approach paid off when Barreto and Fiúza lost roughly 18 minutes to navigation problems near the end of the second stage in the Sealine dune area. Al-Attiyah was then able to manage the Optimus to the finish rather than expose it to unnecessary tire or mechanical risk.
| Overall | Crew | Vehicle | Time / gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nasser Al-Attiyah / Max Delfino | Optimus MD Rallye | 5:12:54.1 |
| 2 | Francisco Barreto / Paulo Fiúza | Toyota Hilux IMT Evo | +29:08.7 |
| 3 | Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari / Oriol Mena | Can-Am Maverick R | +38:37.5 |
| 4 | Khalifa Al-Attiyah / Stéphane Duplé | Taurus T3 Max | +46:05.0 |
| 5 | Lionel Baud / Lucie Baud | Mini JCW Rally | +47:43.7 |
Regional title settled, World Cup still open
The result sealed the FIA Middle East Baja Cup titles for Al-Attiyah and Delfino after they had already earned maximum points in Saudi Arabia and Jordan. The Qatar victory made the regional championship mathematically secure before its final round.
That is separate from the FIA World Baja Cup. Barreto’s second-place finish gave him important World Cup points and left him leading that drivers’ championship. Al-Kuwari and Mena’s third overall also made them the highest-placed Challenger crew in Qatar.
Other category results mattered for the season standings as well. Fernando Alvarez and Xavier Panseri finished eighth overall and won the SSV category in a Can-Am Maverick R, keeping their SSV title push alive. Lionel and Lucie Baud placed fifth overall in their Mini and collected points for third among the World Cup entrants and second in the Ultimate category.
A privateer result with championship weight
The FIA identified Al-Attiyah’s Optimus effort as a privateer program. Winning at home against several World Cup contenders gives the result added significance, but the decisive detail was not simply outright speed. Tire conservation and navigation determined the final margin on a route where multiple crews suffered punctures, mechanical trouble or penalties.
The Qatar result adds another off-road title to a season that is also producing new manufacturer-backed projects. Chiefs Review recently examined Honda Racing’s 1,300-hp Passport Baja Spec program for the 2027 Baja 500.
Featured image: Archive photograph of Nasser Al-Attiyah driving a Citroën DS3 WRC at the 2012 Rallye de France. It is illustrative and does not show the 2026 Qatar International Baja or the Optimus MD Rallye. Photo by Christophe Delorme, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; source file.
