F1 News
Alonso: "I don't feel ready" to win Dakar Rally 2020
Fernando Alonso says that he is not ready to win the Dakar Rally ahead of his first appearance at the event in 2020. The Spaniard has been experimenting with other forms of motorsport since retiring from F1, but the Dakar is his biggest challenge so far.
The rally moves to Saudi Arabia for the first time, after over a decade in South America and Alonso will drive a Toyota Hilux in the dunes in January.
Starting in Jeddah and ending in Qiddiya, the Dakar is one of the toughest events in motorsport, and Alonso said at the FIA Prize Giving in Paris: “If I go there to enjoy the experience.
“If I think on Dakar in terms of winning Dakar, I don’t feel ready. I’m perfectly aware of my lack of experience. I think in other races that I attempt, in Indy or Le Mans or Daytona, I feel quite competitive in a level that I could fight for victory.
“In Dakar, I don’t think I am at that level and I need to be with feet on the ground. But I will play a different strategy. I will not be the fastest but hopefully I will be in a good position at the end.”