Fernando Alonso has no plans to retire from F1 as of now, not while he still dreams of competing for the world championship with Aston Martin. However, he already has a retirement plan in store after he does hang up his helmet, and this is something he feels will complete him.
Talking about this, the two-time world champion said to GQ Espana, as per f1oversteer.com, “When I retire from Formula 1, I would love to return to Dakar. Trying to win the Dakar Rally is a clear goal in my career.”
With this, he further added, “It would complete me, make me happy and I think it would leave an almost unprecedented legacy. Winning in Formula 1, Endurance and rallying would complete the perfect circle of a racing driver.”
Fernando Alonso with the double rollover during the Dakar Rally.
Drives off like nothing even happened 😯
(via @PacoGrandeTVE)pic.twitter.com/Pc1U5AbCGR
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) January 15, 2020
Admittedly, Alonso has already competed in the Dakar rally in 2020. He left F1 after his contract with McLaren expired in 2019 and joined the rally sport the year after. He competed in his first race in Saudi Arabia and finished in 13th place, way behind the winner Carlos Sainz Sr, father of current Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz.
The Asturian returned to F1 with Alpine in 2021 and remains in the sport today. However, Alonso recently shared that winning the Dakar rally is one of his priorities in life while winning the third F1 world championship is not.
Life of Fernando Alonso after returning to F1
After taking a year off to try out different sports, Fernando Alonso returned to Alpine. However, his time with the French team wasn’t fulfilling even after he won two world championships with them earlier.
Admittedly, Alonso won two F1 titles with Renault [now Alpine] in 2005 and 2006 respectively. As things did not work out for him, the Spanish driver switched sides to drive for Aston Martin in 2023. In doing so, he replaced Sebastian Vettel (who retired) and became the lead driver of the team.
Over two decades in, still as hungry as ever. 💪@alo_oficial. pic.twitter.com/fG6dW0W5ei
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) November 11, 2023
The 42-year-old began the year with a bang and was a regular feature on the podium. Furthermore, he also outperformed his teammate Lance Stroll on a consistent basis.
Now, Fernando Alonso wants Aston Martin to get back on the right track and start winning again. However, he did not forget his old love as he also wants Alpine to catch up even though he did not have a great exit from the Enstone-based team. With this, the two-time world champion also snubbed the rumors of him leaving Aston Martin and said that they were baseless.
