Lategan put seven minutes on his nearest rival, Nasser Al-Attiyah, to surge from 11th in the overall ranking to the lead.
Former rally leader Mitch Gutherie was nearly 44 minutes slower than Lategan with the 27th fastest time in the 417-kilometre stage, and duly dropped to 13th in the standings – 29 minutes off the pace.
Lategan bore the brunt of notoriously tough Dakar stages a day earlier, losing time in spades to punctures during Stage 3.
To win Stage 4, he ditched his cautious approach.
“Yesterday, we had a total of nine punctures. It’s unbelievable. I think that’s a record in three days,” said Lategan.
“I was lost. I didn’t know what to do on the rocks, whether to slow down or not, attack or not.
“Today I decided to forget all that and just go for it. It’s a lottery anyway.
“We got through the rocks today, we could attack, and we made two small navigation errors, but everyone must have had some.”
It was a bittersweet Stage 4 win for Lategan, who missed his son’s birthday.
“[January 7] is always a slightly sad day for me because it’s my son’s birthday,” Lategan lamented.
“He’s turning six. I think there’s no excuse for not being with him on this day over the past few years, so I wish him a happy birthday.
“We’re going to go and check the car. Every time we get a puncture at the rear, so I think it happens when the front wheels lift the rocks.
“It’s unpredictable. We played Russian roulette today.”
Lategan’s Toyota teammate Toby Price was seventh fastest through Stage 4 and 20 minutes off the leading time. Price ended the day where he started in 16th, losing five minutes.
Nasser Al-Attiyah also enjoyed an uptick in the standings, climbing from 10th to second overall.
“It wasn’t easy for us,” said the Dacia driver.
“We had a puncture and then we saw Henk Lategan pass us, but he was attacking.
“We did a good job, we’re here, and I think we didn’t lose too much time. It might even be good for our start position tomorrow.
“We didn’t need to push any harder; we’re still some way back. The car is in good condition and we’re happy.”
Drivers ended Stage 4 on their own – without outside assistance – setting up tents to sleep in overnight before resuming on Thursday morning for Stage 5.
2026 Dakar Rally Cars Top 10 after Stage 4
| Pos | Num | Driver/Co-Driver | Team | Time | Diff | Penalty |
| 1 | 202 | Henk Lategan Brett Cummings |
Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC | 16h29m15s | ||
| 2 | 299 | Nasser Al-Attiyah Fabian Luquin |
The Dacia Sandriders | 16h33m10s | 3m55s | |
| 3 | 226 | Mattia Ekstrom Emil Kergkvist |
Ford Racing | 16h42m15s | 13m | 20s |
| 4 | 225 | Carlos Sainz Lucas Cruz |
Ford Racing | 16h45m08s | 15m53s | 10s |
| 5 | 214 | Mathieu Serradori Loic Minaudier |
Century Racing Factory Team | 16h46m08s | 16m53s | |
| 6 | 213 | Saood Variawa Francois Cazalet |
Toyota Gazoo Racing SA | 16h47m34s | 18m19s | |
| 7 | 227 | Nani Roma Alex Haro |
Ford Racing | 16h47m51s | 18m36s | |
| 8 | 219 | Sebastien Loeb Edouard Boulanger |
The Dacia Sandriders | 16h49m12s | 19m57s | |
| 9 | 205 | Eryk Goczal Szymon Gospodarczyk |
Energyladia Rally Team | 16h50m37s | 21m22s | |
| 10 | 212 | Cristina Gutierrez Pablo Moreno |
The Dacia Sandriders | 16h54m33s | 25m18s | |
| 16 | 204 | Toby Price Armand Monleon |
Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC | 16h59m58s | 30m43s |
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