The incident occurred after a strong start to the special stage, when Esteve's Toyota DKR GR Hilux hit a dune hard. The vehicle was rendered unusable, requiring the driver to be evacuated by helicopter to the camp for medical testing.

Medical examinations, including a CT scan, MRI, and electrocardiogram, confirmed that Isidre Esteve suffered a mild sternum fissure and a small vertebral fracture. Although the injuries are not serious, they prevent him from continuing in the competition.

His co-driver, Txema Villalobos, was also taken to a hospital for assessment but quickly returned to the camp, having only suffered severe cervical whiplash.

Esteve had approached the race with confidence, having climbed to 27th place overall the previous day. Before the crash, he was only 18 minutes behind the new general classification leader, Nasser At-Attiyah.