Opinion: Can Alonso Succeed at Dakar?

Paul Jeffrey

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Fernando Alonso Dakar 2020.jpg

Fernando Alonso has announced he will compete in Dakar 2020 for Toyota - do you think the Spanish former F1 World Champion has what it takes to get the job done in the desert?

Double Formula One World Champion, double Le Mans 24 Hour winner, 2018/19 World Endurance Champion... Fernando Alonso has enjoyed an incredible career so far, and come early 2020 the Spanish former McLaren F1 driver will be turning his hand to long distance off road racing... a very, very different discipline, and something that could be the biggest test of Alonso's career to date.

Do you think Alonso can achieve success when the 2020 Dakar takes place next January?

Let us know your thoughts and opinions below!

Alonso Dakar 2020 2.jpg


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I've been following him well, also during rallye du maroc and although it was his first (real) competitive outing he was slower than Erik van Loon for example. A very good amateur, but still an amateur.

But who knows, Alonso learns quickly. Don't think he can win but I do think there's a chance he'll be competetive.
 
I think he will do as best as he can, while still enjoying the learning process. No longer in F1, and using his name to find more styles of racing is great for the sport. I wish more leading drivers and teams did this like the old days. It wasn't unheard of to see Mario in a Can Am, NASCAR, and an Indy car in a months time. Same with the brits doing F1, F-jr, and a tin top race on the same weekend. But contracts, and lawyers will keep that at bay.
 
For me, it is unlikely he to win this edition, maybe in a few years. This year's, the road is demanding, with fewer visual cues and more resource fulness to identify. Also, coming from a world where you change the tires in a few seconds, at the Dakar, you have to know how to do everything.

Good luck, that's all ;)
 
Dakar is more then just driving fast. A lot will depend on his navigator and not having to deal with mechanical issues. It sure does make Dakar even more interresting to follow this upcoming edition :)
 
  • Deleted member 617659

He confessed it to you at dinner?
Lol. Alonso is as funny as his haters.
 
He has won Daytona, I think he simply wants to gain experience and just be a constant fixture at Dakar for the future... You don't have anything else that you can do in January if you're a racer!
He'll be crashing a lot, I think he'll be like Colin McRae, then he'll slow down, gain experience and be fighting for victory in some years time.

I just hope he does Indy again and again... also the 24h GT races, especially the Nurburgring! I mean, if you add all those races, you kind of get a fantastic calendar of different kinds of racing.
 

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