Fernando Alonso would like to take part in the Dakar Rally in the future: He won’t be able to just quit Formula 1
The 47th Dakar Rally starts today in Saudi Arabia. There are no former Formula One drivers competing, but Fernando Alonso hopes that will change in the future because he sees the rally as an adventure that he definitely wants to take on again during his career.
“One of the challenges I have yet to win is the Dakar Rally – or rallies in general,” he says in the podcast Asi empece. That’s because he is particularly attracted by the fact that he needs a completely different style for rallies than in Formula 1, where he has to put in a perfect lap in qualifying – and even more so in the race on Sunday.
“In rallying, you have a co-pilot next to you who tells you the route, but you also have to keep both feet on the pedal for almost the entire stage because you stabilize the rally car that way,” says Alonso. ”And you have to play with your weight when cornering and braking.”
“It’s a completely different technique to that used in formula cars, because if you do it there, you’ll burn up your brakes and use a lot of fuel,” says the Spaniard. ”And anyway, the car doesn’t move because of the weight, but because of the aerodynamics.”
It is not yet clear how much longer the 43-year-old will continue racing in Formula One. At least he still has a contract with Aston Martin until 2026. But retirement is out of the question for him: “I love racing,” he emphasizes.
“I’ve had a steering wheel in my hands since I was three years old. Now I’m 43, so I’ve been driving for 40 years. I guess it won’t be possible to just stop from one day to the next and never drive again,” says the two-time world champion.
Alonso had already shown that he would like to try out other series a few years ago, when he wanted to win the triple crown and tackled the Indy 500 and the Le Mans 24 Hours – one successfully, the other rather not.
He spent two years competing in the World Endurance Championship with Toyota before being drawn back to Formula One. “As a driver, it enriched me because I had to learn from the best in each series,” he says. “I didn’t have the comfort zone, I had to learn everything from scratch, like at school.”
“It was interesting, and when I stop competing in Formula 1, the Dakar or another championship will awaken this passion for learning.”
