‘Aim for my third F1 championship in the next three years, then Dakar’

The Spaniard, who is under contract with Aston until the end of 2026, turned 43 in July and recently said he feared he might not be able to reap Newey’s job at Silverstone.

Age is an inexorable parameter at this highest level of motorsport: “El Nano” will next year share the starting positions with Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who was born in August 2006. At that time Alonso was already world champion of F1, was seeking his second title and had already taken part in 81 GPs.

But the Spaniard has proven – if nothing else with the 8 podium places he won in 2023 – that he still has the physical ability to continue. An ability which will no doubt be boosted by the psychological boost brought by the promises of the upcoming partnership with Newey (the most successful designer in F1 history), as well as Enrico Cardile and Andy Cowell. And in addition, the promises from factory engines from Honda (from 2026) and from the technological development of biofuels from Aramco.

And so, at the age of 43, Fernando clearly states that his aim is firstly to win his first victory since the 2013 Spanish GP (with Ferrari, then), and then his coveted third title after those he won in 2005 -’06 with Renault F1.

Speaking at a sponsor Cognizant event in India, Alonso said:I’m very, very committed to Formula 1. In the next 2-3 years I want to win the third world championship. This is currently my first and only priority. Then I will be 45-46 years old and we will see in what condition I will be”.

The Spaniard added that, when he leaves F1, he prefers to pursue the dream of winning the Dakar Rally (for which Sebastien Lebb has been trying for a decade), rather than the Indy500:

“Clearly, the triple crown is very attractive to me, that is, winning the Monaco GP, Le Mans and the Indianapolis 500. But in the Indy500 I tried three times and didn’t make it. It’s not in my plans right now to try again.

I think the dedication that I’m going to need to run in the Indy500 again, the amount of things that I have to sit down and learn again, maybe it’s going to be a little bit too much. At least that’s what I’m thinking now, I can’t be 100% sure.

I have other goals. The next challenge for me will be the Dakar Rally. If I succeed and win it, I will be incredibly happy. As a driver, winning endurance races at Le Mans and Daytona, at Formula 1 and also in rallies, it will mean a lot”he added.

We recall that Alonso took part in the Dakar Rally during his 2020 F1 break, driving for factory Toyota Gazoo Racing and co-driver with five-time motorcycle race winner Marc Coma. He finished 13th on his debut in an unprecedented form of motorsport, after an accident in the 10th Special that cost him too much time.

“You can’t drive her car F1 in the same way as a Le Mans which has to complete 24 hours, or a Dakar Rally where you have to go through the sand dunes and dirt of Saudi Arabia.

So I’ve had to learn a lot and start from scratch in a lot of those classes, and hang out with the best drivers in the world in those classes and learn from them and stay humble.

I have no problem admitting that I had no idea how to drive a rally car, but day by day I improved and learned from them until I was able to compete in the toughest rally in the world.”concluded Fernando Alonso.