Alonso to return to Dakar Rally in 2027 with Aston Martin backing his F1 stay

Fernando Alonso will contest the 2027 Dakar Rally in an Aston Martin rally-raid car, with the British manufacturer also retaining the two-time Formula 1 world champion for the 2027 F1 season. The deal, which Autosport understands was agreed as far back as August, only emerged publicly after details were leaked through Spanish media.

Alonso had fuelled speculation during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend with cryptic remarks about “surprises” arriving “in the next few weeks”, comments widely interpreted as hinting at a GT racing collaboration with Max Verstappen. Instead, the revelation is a return to one of motorsport’s most gruelling events — the Dakar Rally — which he previously contested with Toyota in 2020, finishing 13th.

The Aston Martin rally-raid car is reported to be based on a concept drawn from the Call of Duty video game franchise, adding an unusual commercial dimension to the project.

Alonso’s appetite for racing outside Formula 1 is well documented. During his second spell at McLaren in the mid-2010s, frustration with the Honda-powered car’s lack of competitiveness led him to negotiate a start at the Indianapolis 500. He later took a full sabbatical from F1 between 2018 and 2021, winning the Le Mans 24 Hours outright with Toyota in both 2018 and 2019, and returning to Indianapolis twice more.

“I had to stop. I had to switch off from Formula 1,” Alonso said of that period. “I had to experience different formulas and different series, and learn from the specialists in those series and become a more complete driver. That was very important for me and I still find those challenges appealing.”

The Spaniard framed his cross-discipline ambitions as a deliberate extension of his core strength as a driver. “I try 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 said. “Max is the only one trying to do some GT racing. But apart from that, I like that challenge. I want to find the limits of what is possible.”

The Dakar Rally began life as the Paris-Dakar Rally before security concerns in North Africa forced a relocation, first to South America and later to Saudi Arabia, where it is currently held each January. It remains one of the most physically and technically demanding events in all of motorsport, spanning thousands of kilometres across desert terrain.