Photo: Toyota
Fernando Alonso is definitely one of the most well-known racing drivers. Whether it is for his accomplishments in Formula 1, involvement in various motorsports, or controversies he found himself in, a lot of people have heard of him.
In 2021, the Spaniard made a return to the world of Formula 1 with the team that gave him his two world championships (Renault, now rebranded as Alpine). After spending two seasons with the team, he signed a deal to keep Grand Prix racing with Aston Martin until the end of 2024.
But in the two years he spent away from the sport, he took part in various other categories of motorsport, which included the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Indianapolis 500. However, it was in 2020 that Alonso took on a massive challenge and ventured into an unknown area for him.
That’s the year he took a jab at the prestigious Dakar Rally, where he managed to achieve what is more than a respectable result for a first attempt and finished 13th in the overall standings. Keep in mind, Alonso took some lessons from four-time Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah, who recently gave an interview to Autosport, where he spoke about the Spaniard.
The Qatari rally driver was impressed with Alonso and even sees a win as being a possibility for the Formula 1 champion, given enough experience tackling the terrain, “What we did for the first time in Dakar, he showed the speed. For this kind of race, you need to have experience, because if you see the history of Dakar you need to have four-five-six years of experience until you can win. But it was really nice to have Fernando. Still, we are talking. We are waiting for him.”
While there is no certainty on what Alonso will choose to do after a future F1 departure, Nasser feels the Spaniard enjoyed cross-country rally racing and that he could make a comeback, “I think so. He loved the Dakar, and I am sure that maybe after next year or in two years [he will come back].”
But in the two years he spent away from the sport, he took part in various other categories of motorsport, which included the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Indianapolis 500. However, it was in 2020 that Alonso took on a massive challenge and ventured into an unknown area for him.
That’s the year he took a jab at the prestigious Dakar Rally, where he managed to achieve what is more than a respectable result for a first attempt and finished 13th in the overall standings. Keep in mind, Alonso took some lessons from four-time Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah, who recently gave an interview to Autosport, where he spoke about the Spaniard.
The Qatari rally driver was impressed with Alonso and even sees a win as being a possibility for the Formula 1 champion, given enough experience tackling the terrain, “What we did for the first time in Dakar, he showed the speed. For this kind of race, you need to have experience, because if you see the history of Dakar you need to have four-five-six years of experience until you can win. But it was really nice to have Fernando. Still, we are talking. We are waiting for him.”
While there is no certainty on what Alonso will choose to do after a future F1 departure, Nasser feels the Spaniard enjoyed cross-country rally racing and that he could make a comeback, “I think so. He loved the Dakar, and I am sure that maybe after next year or in two years [he will come back].”
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