Fernando Alonso: “I have read the rumors about the Dakar, but I don’t think it is physically possible. When I face the next challenge I will announce it, it will not be a rumor and I will be the one to communicate it myself”

At the moment, it does not confirm. Rather, it denies. A few days ago, the portal ‘Soy Motor’ exclusively announced that Fernando Alonso will participate in Dajar 2026 and the main Spanish written media, such as this newspaper, confirmed it through their sources. However, the Spaniard assured that it is not possible to compete in the Dakar 2027 when he is competing in something as demanding as F1. For now.

And he warned: “When I face the next challenge I will announce it, it will not be a rumor and I will be the one to communicate it myself.” He wants to be the one, along with Aston Martin, to announce his next challenges.

“I have read those rumours, but I don’t think it is physically possible. I don’t think the demands of F1 are compatible with the Dakar,” Fernando Alonso said at the press conference prior to the Formula 1 Singapore GP, perhaps, annoyed by the leak and that he had not been able to surprise his fans with this news.

Although the Spanish driver, as he is well known, wants to make things come true that seem unthinkable, as he already did in the Indy500 when he led the race with only a month of prior preparation, in the middle of the F1 season in 2017. That was not physically possible either and he achieved it. So we will have to wait to find out from Fernando what he will do in the future outside of F1.

“And GT3? No. You need good preparation and any of these challenges… because you have been competitive in the past, people may think that they are easy. But it requires a lot of preparation, determination and luck to be successful. When I face the next challenge I will announce it, it will not be a rumor and I will be the one to communicate it myself. And I will do it because I believe that I will be sufficiently prepared and there will be enough risk,” said the man from Oviedo.

Singapore, the best option of the year

As for what is really important for Alonso this weekend, in F1, the Spaniard faces the Singapore GP aware that it may be the circuit that best suits the characteristics of his car and the lack of power of his Honda engine. A route where there are no long straights is synonymous with greater competitiveness. And its mousetrap configuration can allow Newey’s chassis to stand out in the midrange.

Furthermore, on a sprint weekend, with only one free practice session to adapt to the track and approach the walls, the chameleonic capacity of adaptation of the Oviedo rider and his experience can give him an extra, especially in the sprint classification, to which many could still arrive with questions, without having everything under control. He wants to take advantage of it after his comeback in Sepang, which was fresh air for him and the team.

“It was important (the result of the Bahrain GP in Malaysia), obviously. Even so, we are very far from what we want to achieve. Having scored points and having a competitive pace in the race is encouraging. The whole weekend was a little better, but it is still what it is. This year it has been painful and we still struggle to have rhythm, top speed on a straight, and we are going to depend a lot on the type of circuits, so probably on this one we will be in the fight a little and on others we will be behind. So we have to maximize the good finishes of the week,” commented Alonso.

They then asked him if the car is in a better working window or if you expect even more consistency. And he made it clear that it is not about the car, but the type of circuit on which he competes every weekend. If there are fewer straights, performance will improve because you will not be as hampered by the lack of engine power.

“No. It will depend on the circuit. The car was physically the same, with the same configuration, the same power unit as in Baku, 5 days earlier than in Malaysia. Everything was the same, and the performance differential was enormous. It’s not about experimenting with the settings or having the car in the window or something we can do on the track. Unfortunately, it depends too much on the track configuration and the straights on the circuit that weekend. So Singapore will be an opportunity. Because? Because in Singapore there are fewer straight lines“Alonso added.

And when told about his recent renewal in F1 with Aston Martin, he recalled his unconditional love of driving: “Competing in F1 and in other categories, classes in which I will compete when I leave F1… I love feeling the adrenaline of driving a racing car. I think it’s a way of life, surely.”