Fernando Alonso, the Formula 1 world champion, is preparing for his return to the Dakar Rally with a vehicle from Aston Martin. This new episode marks a new alliance between the Asturian driver and the legendary British brand, which is set against a backdrop of continuity in F1 until 2027.
According to recent reports, discussions to make this collaboration happen began in August, but had not been made public until now. Both Alonso and the brand seem convinced that this project once again presents their favorite challenges, after competing with Toyota in 2020, where he finished in 13th place.
During the Bahrain Grand Prix, Alonso hinted that there were surprises on the horizon in the coming weeks. While many speculated about entering GT races with Max Verstappen, the surprising news turns out to be this new challenge at the Dakar.
A vehicle based on the virtual world
Alonso’s Aston Martin will be based on the Dacia Sandrider, a vehicle that has recently been confirmed as the winner of the previous edition of the competition, driven by Nasser Al-Attiyah. And in an interesting twist, it is speculated that the vehicle could be named Dreadnought, inspired by a conceptualization project of Aston Martin based on the video game Call of Duty.
Preparations for the competition
The first tests with this new model are scheduled for the coming weeks, with the expected participation of Marc Coma, a legendary motorcycle racer, as Alonso’s co-driver. Coma, who already competed with him in 2020, will bring his extensive experience to the Dakar.
Additionally, Prodrive, the team responsible for the preparations, plans to form a complete team for the event, with the possibility of incorporating other renowned drivers such as Al-Attiyah and Sébastien Loeb.
Challenges on the horizon
Despite the confirmation that the Dakar Rally 2027 is scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia from January 1 to 15, there exists a certain geopolitical instability in the region that could affect the plans. The organization, ASO, is considering a contingency plan to move the event to Morocco, if necessary.
With this new challenge, Alonso seeks to close a chapter that he considers as pending accounts, aiming to explore the limits of sport and his own career.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
