Fernando Alonso As of this 2023 season, he will face what he already admits looks like it will be his last adventure in Formula 1. Last summer, tired of Alpinesigned a multi-year contract with Aston Martin that will join the Silverstone team until, at least 2024… but, what will happen next with the Asturian?
Only in recent months, the two-time F1 world champion has received three proposals to carry out once he has finished his journey in the ‘Great Circus’… or even while he is active.
return to the Dakar
The last one has arrived in the mouth of Nasser Al-Attiyah, winner of the last Dakar. Alonso, who already took part in the test in 2020, has never hidden his desire to compete again in the legendary test in the desert… and surely he has marked it as a goal.
“We are still talking and I hope to convince him. He really liked the Dakar and I think he will return. I am convinced that he will be back. If it can’t be in 2024 it will be later, but it will come back.”has pointed out the Qatari.
Al-Attiyah not only assured that he will return to the Dakar, but also that he sees him with a chance to win: “I knew him from F1 and suddenly I found him as a teammate in 2020. Toyota asked me to teach him to face the dunes We spent three days in Qatar in 50 degree temperatures and he did an amazing job. He has great talent, but it takes five to six years of experience before he can win.“.
Given that the Formula 1 season starts in March and after the words of the current Dakar champion, it would not be impossible to see the Asturian starting 2024 in the desert.
24 Hours of Le Mans with Max Verstappen?
In an interview in ‘De Telegraaf’ a little over a month ago, Alonso went further and launched a proposal to the already F1 champion this season: to be teammates in the WEC.
Fernando already has baggage in the competition after being crowned in Le Mans 2019 by Toyotabut he has always indicated that after saying goodbye definitively to the ‘Great Circus’ he would like to return to contest the mythical race.
“I know that Max wants to do some Endurance one day and that he would be attracted to racing the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I’m certainly open to doing that together.“, he explained.
“I believe that we should give this idea a try if we can drive for a competitive team”, he added in a more than juicy offer for Verstappen, who has also stated on more than one occasion that he would like to run in other motorsport events.
In fact, the Dutch he opened his arms to Alonso days later: “Fernando will never stop running. Perhaps in that sense he is something different from me. It would be nice if we could have a chance to race together in Le Mans”.
“If he does it, it’s because he wants to go for the victory and do it with a competitive car. And I am exactly the same in that“he told the Netherlands edition of ‘Motorsport’.
“He is 41 years old and still driving. I am sure he will be just as competitive at 50. We have time left, and I don’t want to rush. A lot of things are changing in Endurance racing,” he added.
And continue in F1 with Aston Martin out of the car?
It is the most remote option, but the team has already proposed it: if in 2025 or 2026 Alonso’s level already allows him to continue on the track, they want Fernando to continue with them on the wall and in the factory.
Mike Krackin statements collected by ‘The Race’, speaks of the two-time champion: “We have already had very good conversations with him. This, in my opinion, It can go beyond piloting.”
“Fernando joins us as a central part of the team and we have to see how this is going to play out, but I think may have an important role to play in the future of the team“, added one of the ‘bosses’ of the team Aston Martin.
To follow in Formula 1 with the illusion of winning, squeezing all his experience from the garage, fighting to win in the Dakar or return to WEC beside max verstappen: What will be the next chapter in the history of Fernando Alonso?