Alonso's Dakar adventure: What you should know about his team and his chances!
Source: Twitter @alo_oficial
F1 News
- Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
The start of the 2020 Dakar Rally is almost upon us! In Fernando Alonso, there is one recognisable name for the average F1 fan, so let's see how the Spaniard can perform out in the desert.
Toyota
After his time in WEC and after winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it's no coincidence Alonso is driving for Toyota in Dakar as well. The Japanese side doesn't have much history when it comes to the legendary rally and hasn't won it often. Just once, to be exact, and that was last season.
Nasser Al-Attiyah and Matthieu Baumel will man a Toyota Hilux for the second year running. As mentioned, the truck delivered them a title last year and Toyota Gazoo Racing are hoping to climb the top step of the podium again this season, which is why they're fielding four cars this year, one of which is manned by Alonso.
Alonso will be accompanied by a fellow countryman with more experience in Dakar: Marc Coma. Coma is a five-time Dakar winner, albeit in the motorcycle class.
Chances of winning
The bookies aren't completely convinced by Alonso's ability to take home the Dakar title. Most places don't even give the two-time F1 champion odds, showing just how little chance they're giving Alonso to win. After all, Dakar isn't just about speed, but mostly about experience on each terrain and with your surroundings, and this is something which Alonso doesn't have.
Still, Alonso should never be underestimated. He won Le Mans at the first time of asking and was very impressive in 2017 at his Indy500 debut, although he retired from that race with mechanical issues. His talents are beyond question. The only thing which can hold Alonso back in the 2020 Dakar Rally is his lack of experience.