Nice hypothesis has accompanied Fernando Alonso in current months as he held again on confirming his future in Components 1. Now it seems that not solely has he been in a position to agree beneficial phrases with Aston Martin to remain on in F1 for 2027, but additionally persuaded the automotive producer to again him in one other assault on the Dakar Rally, Autosport understands.
The deal was agreed way back to August however has solely simply been leaked through the Spanish media. In the course of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia final weekend, Alonso made some cryptic remarks about “surprises” that would emerge “within the subsequent few weeks”. This was assumed by many to imply some sort of GT racing entry with Max Verstappen, however the truth is it’s a return to a difficult occasion he has contested earlier than with Toyota – ending thirteenth in 2020.
Throughout his second stint at McLaren within the mid-2010s, Alonso turned so disenchanted with the Honda-powered workforce’s competitiveness that he negotiated permission to contest the Indianapolis 500. He then took a sabbatical from F1 between 2018 and 2021, competing within the Indy 500 once more in addition to profitable the Le Mans 24 Hours outright with Toyota in 2018 and 2019.
“Sure, precisely, I needed to cease. I needed to change off from Components 1,” stated Alonso of these experiences.
“I needed to expertise completely different formulation and completely different sequence, and study from the specialists in these sequence and grow to be a extra full driver. That was essential for me and I nonetheless discover these challenges interesting. I do not know when I’ll do it, however I’ll repeat these experiences.
“I really like challenges. My approach of understanding motorsport and my way of life is round racing automobiles. It has been all my life and I believe my power has been to adapt to completely different automobiles, completely different guidelines: V10, V8, V6, Bridgestone, Michelin, Pirelli, KERS, hybrid, ground-effect automobiles, all these various things. Plus completely different sequence: prototypes, Indy, Dakar.
Alonso has already contested the Dakar, with Toyota in 2020
Picture by: Getty Pictures
“I attempt to use that power and possibly do issues that have been potential within the Nineteen Sixties, ’80s or ’90s and now most likely nobody will strive. Max is the one one making an attempt to do some GT racing. However aside from that, I like that problem.
“I attempted these items previously and I’ll proceed doing that. So possibly, yeah, you might have extra surprises within the subsequent few weeks. There are issues that individuals most likely assume which are inconceivable, however I need to discover the bounds of what’s potential.”
The Dakar Rally is an infamously difficult annual fixture which started life because the Paris-Dakar Rally, however was pressured to shift location owing to instability in North Africa. After a number of years in South America it’s now hosted by Saudi Arabia.
Alonso will drive an Aston-Martin branded automotive ready by Prodrive, and primarily based on the Dacia Sandrider which received the newest operating of the occasion within the arms of Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Fabian Lurquin. Shortly after that, Dacia introduced it will finish its programme within the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) a yr sooner than initially deliberate, on the finish of 2026 quite than the top of 2027.
The Sandrider itself was a growth of a undertaking which began life because the Prodrive Hunter, however was re-engined and rebodied to resemble the Dacia Manifesto idea automotive. The bottom automobile lends itself to comparatively easy re-engineering of physique and powertrain.
Autosport understands that one of many plans on the desk is to badge the brand new automotive because the Dreadnought, primarily based on the digital Aston Martin idea automobile from Name of Responsibility: Trendy Warfare 4, and elegance the physique alongside the identical strains.
Prodrive has an extended historical past with Aston Martin. Founder David Richards served as chairman of the British marque from 2007 to 2013, and Prodrive ran Aston Martin’s profitable GT and prototype sportscar racing programme.
The primary assessments with the Dacia Sandrider that may type the idea of the Dakar Aston Martin are reportedly attributable to happen inside the subsequent few weeks. Marc Coma, who partnered Alonso in 2020, is predicted to return as his co-driver. The guy Spaniard is a Dakar legend in his personal proper, having received the motorbike class 5 instances with KTM between 2006 and 2015.
The Dakar is unfinished enterprise for Alonso, who completed thirteenth in 2020
Picture by: Getty Pictures
Prodrive is seemingly planning to discipline a full Dakar workforce primarily based across the Sandrider undertaking quite than only a single automotive for Alonso and Coma. In accordance with the Spanish stories, Al-Attiyah and Sebastien Loeb are additionally being thought of as drivers. There has, nonetheless, been no official affirmation of the programme to this point.
There’s additionally uncertainty over the place the 2027 Dakar Rally will truly happen. Till 2007, throughout its basic period, the occasion ran for many years from Europe into West Africa, often ending in Dakar. The 2008 version needed to be cancelled due to safety issues in Mauritania. From 2009 to 2019, the occasion retained the Dakar identify however was held in South America, earlier than shifting to Saudi Arabia in 2020.
Formally, the 2027 Dakar remains to be scheduled to happen in Saudi Arabia from 1-15 January. Organiser ASO has already printed an in depth route comprising 13 phases and a complete of 5,320 kilometres of aggressive operating. The FIA additionally continues to checklist Saudi Arabia because the official host nation.
Nonetheless, there may be at present appreciable uncertainty due to the geopolitical safety state of affairs within the Center East. In accordance with current stories, ASO is due to this fact engaged on a contingency plan by which would Morocco step in as a substitute host.
A considerably extra compact occasion of round eight phases is reportedly into consideration, though no last choice to maneuver the rally to Morocco has been made.
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