Alright, buckle up, because Fernando Alonso just pulled another classic Alonso move. After months of everyone wondering about his future, the two-time World Champion officially signed a contract extension with Aston Martin for the 2027 season. But here’s the kicker: as part of that new deal, Alonso has reportedly convinced the British team to back him for *another* shot at the brutal Dakar Rally. Yeah, you read that right.
Alonso Always Finds a New Challenge
Honestly, is anyone surprised? This guy has been the most interesting driver in motorsports for over two decades. We’re talking about the legend who beat Michael Schumacher in his prime, stirred the pot at McLaren, seriously ticked off Honda, then went and raced the Indy 500, the Dakar Rally, *and* won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice, plus the World Endurance Championship. He even quit Formula 1 entirely before coming back to headline for Aston Martin. The man lives for the fight. Alonso himself told Motorsport.com that he had to “switch off from Formula 1” before, to “experience different formulas and different series, and learn from the specialists in those series and become a more complete driver.” He loves challenges, and he’s not wrong when he says he tries “to use that strength and maybe do things that were possible in the 1960s, ’80s or ’90s and now probably no one will try.” He wants to find the limits of what’s possible, and honestly, you gotta respect that.
Dreadnought on the Dunes: What to Expect for Dakar 2027
Alonso isn’t a Dakar newbie either. He took on the rally in 2020 with Toyota, finishing a respectable 13th overall with five-time Dakar motorcycle champion Marc Coma riding shotgun. Guess who’s expected to be his co-driver again for this next run? You got it, Marc Coma. The vehicle set to carry Alonso across those endless dunes is expected to be an Aston Martin rig built and run by Prodrive. Word on the street is it could even be badged as the “Dreadnought,” styled after the Aston Martin concept from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. How cool is that? This beast will actually be based on the Dacia Sandrider, the same machine that Nasser Al-Attiyah drove to victory in the most recent Dakar. With Dacia ending its World Rally-Raid Championship program at the end of 2026, Prodrive is just porting that winning platform right over to Aston Martin. The 2027 Dakar Rally is currently scheduled for January 1,15, 2027, through Saudi Arabia, covering 13 stages and a whopping 5,320 kilometers. But with some geopolitical instability in the Middle East, organizers are looking at Morocco as a possible alternative, which would shorten the rally to eight stages. Either way, it’s gonna be wild.
This is vintage Alonso. He signs a big F1 deal, but only if he gets to go chase another insane challenge. He’s not done making headlines, and with a Dakar Rally comeback on an Aston Martin “Dreadnought,” you know we’ll be glued to every stage. Bring on 2027!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply