It is not official yet, but it looks like Fernando Alonso will be back on the start line of the Dakar Rally in 2027. According to the Spanish outlet SoyMotor.com, the two-time Formula 1 world champion will drive a Prodrive T1+. It is an ex-Dacia Sandrider whose bodywork is being converted into an Aston Martin, the brand Alonso also races for in Formula 1. The signatures are still to be put on paper, but SoyMotor reports that the plan has been in the works for weeks.
Marc Coma back at his side
Marc Coma will once again sit next to Alonso. The two know each other from 2020, when Alonso made his Dakar debut in a Toyota Hilux and finished thirteenth, with the five-time motorcycle winner as his co-driver. Coma is now the director of the Morocco Rally, but that apparently does not stop him from taking a seat beside Alonso again.
First test next week
Next week, Alonso will take the car out for the first time. The Aston Martin bodywork moulds are not ready yet, so he will cover his first kilometres in a car that does not yet look the way it will in January. The cars and trucks are already in the United Kingdom, without their Dacia stickers. His engineer for this test is Daniel Gratacós, who previously worked with Nasser Al-Attiyah on this very car.
A logical combination
Aston Martin and Prodrive have worked together since 2004. The current Vantage GT3 and GT4 come from David Richards’ company, and the BRX project, which grew into the Dacia that Al-Attiyah drove to the Dakar win this year, also originated at Prodrive. When Dacia stopped as a factory team, Richards managed to get at least two of those cars back. They have since been painted black and are waiting for their new look.
No easy task
Alonso has not sat in a T1+ for years, and the field has grown considerably since 2020, with up to 50 cars from the top category. The level of competition is also much higher than back then. SoyMotor therefore expects this Dakar to be at least as tough for him as his debut.
