Fernando Alonso He left Formula 1 for two years in search of new challenges. He tried the ovals, the resistance and the Dakar, leaving everyone with good feelings. So good that everyone wants him back in their competitions, such as Nasser Al-Attiyah, winner of the last Dakar, who believes that the Spaniard will try the desert test again.
The Spaniard is 41 years old, but the Dakar is a test in which veteran people compete, such as Carlos Sainz (60 years old) or Al-Attiyah himself (51). This continues to keep him with options to return and be very competitive in the test, as he demonstrated in 2020 when he participated.
In that edition his teammate was the Qatari, who at the FIA awards gala assured that Alonso will compete in the test again: “We are still talking and I hope to convince you. She really liked the Dakar and I think she will come back. I am convinced that she will be back. If it can’t be in 2024 it will be later, but it will come back.”
Al-Attiyah not only assured that he will return to the Dakar, but also that he sees him with options to win: “I knew him from F1 and suddenly I found him as a teammate in 2020. Toyota asked me to teach him how to face the dunes. We were in Qatar for three days in 50 degree temperatures and he did an amazing job. He has great talent, but you need five to six years of experience before you can win.”
Alonso has signed a multi-year contract with Aston Martin that at least ties him to the British team until 2024. However, the Dakar is a test that takes place at the beginning of the year, out of coincidence with the Formula 1 calendar. In addition, the Asturian already preferred to play another test rather than a race of Formula 1, as he did in 2017 running the Indy 500 before the Monaco Grand Prix. Only time will tell if Fernando Alonso will be in the 2024 Dakar.