42-year-old Fernando Alonso continues to defy the age debate as he seems to be in the form of his life. The Spaniard has had a flying start to life at Aston Martin by clinching six podiums this season. While he still dreams of winning a third title in F1, it seems that his 10-year plan just does not end there. In a recent interview on the High-Performance podcast, the two-time world champion explained how he is also keen on winning Dakar.
Alonso set new goals for himself outside of F1 after he retired at the end of the 2018 season. The Spaniard chose to hang up his boots as he found it difficult to win even more titles in F1 because of his team’s poor performances.
Following his retirement, the former Ferrari driver was keen to prove himself in other forms of motorsports. As a result, Alonso competed in the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans race, which he won twice with Toyota Gazoo Racing (2018, 2019). A year after, he also competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship, which he also won.
While Alonso has also competed in other forms of motorsports such as the IndyCar Series and Dakar Rally, he did not achieve success in those formats. However, the Spaniard has still not given up on his ambition to achieve success in Dakar.
Fernando Alonso explains his goals ahead
In a recent interview on the High Performance podcast, Fernando Alonso provided a detailed response about his goals ahead. The Spaniard began by making it clear that he still dreams of winning a third world title in F1. However, he also stated that his ambitions do not end there.
“I’m going to try the Dakar again, 99% , but that doesn’t mean that the third title is less of a priority. It’s a priority, but winning the Dakar is a big priority for me too. Maybe I have to participate eight years, ten years or whatever until I get lucky and can fight for victory“, the 42-year-old added.
Alonso stated that it is a priority for him to win in Dakar as it would make him feel “special“. This is because he would be one of the few drivers to have achieved success in not only F1, but also endurance racing and Dakar.
Another goal that Alonso seems to have is to win the Indy 500 to complete the Triple Crown. The Triple Crown is an unofficial achievement in motorsport, where a driver wins not only the Indy 500 but also the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix. Since Alonso has already won the last two events, he just needs to win the Indy 500 to complete yet another historic achievement in his illustrious career.
“Indy is still not completed“: Alonso on his ambition to complete the Triple Crown
In an interview after returning to F1 with Alpine in 2021, Fernando Alonso made it clear that he still has the ambition to win the Indy 500. As quoted by racingnews365.com, he said, “Indy is still not completed, so it will always be in the list of wishes. But at the moment my full dedication is to F1“, he replied.
Alonso currently has a two-year contract with Aston Martin that runs out at the end of next season. If the Spaniard were to see signs of the team moving in the right direction, he has stated previously that he may even stay with the side beyond 2024.
