Return to rally raid

Fernando Alonso will enter the 2027 Dakar Rally, returning to cross-country endurance racing for the first time since his debut in 2020. The 45-year-old two-time Formula 1 world champion will compete in the premier T1+ class alongside co-driver Marc Coma, a five-time Dakar motorcycle category champion. The entry follows Alonso signing a multi-year contract renewal with the Aston Martin Formula 1 team one week earlier. In recent comments about his career mindset, Alonso addressed competing outside the sport's immediate spotlight.

“Now I am at peace with this period of anonymity, where nobody knows that we are still here and that we are still fast.”

Prior to reports detailing the Dakar entry, Alonso also pointed to forthcoming plans during a press briefing ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

“Maybe there will be more surprises in the coming weeks; there are things that people probably think are impossible, but I want to find the limits of the possible.”

Prodrive machinery and team lineup

The team will field prototypes developed by British motorsport outfit Prodrive under team owner David Richards. The cars are built from the Dacia Sandriders that claimed victory in the 2026 Dakar Rally with driver Nasser Al-Attiyah. Following Dacia's exit from the championship, Prodrive retained the chassis and updated them with Aston Martin styling, connecting the rally program directly to Alonso's Formula 1 employer. The second entry in the Prodrive lineup will be driven by nine-time World Rally Championship winner Sébastien Loeb. Initial testing for the program is scheduled to begin next week once contract details are completed.

Past Dakar record and preparation

Alonso and Coma last shared a cockpit during the 2020 Dakar Rally driving a Toyota Hilux. The Spanish crew placed 13th in the final standings, overcoming a vehicle rollover over a sand dune on stage 10 that resulted in a delay of more than an hour. Their best competitive result came during stage eight, finishing four minutes behind buggy driver Mathieu Serradori. Coma, who won the motorcycle division five times between 2006 and 2015, currently works as director of the Rally of Morocco and returns to co-driving for the 2027 entry.

Dakar 2027 route and logistics

The 2027 edition is scheduled to run between 1 January and 15 January in Saudi Arabia, with provisional routes outlining 13 stages across 5,320 kilometers starting and finishing in Jeddah. Organizers from France have also traveled to Morocco over the past two months to survey alternative desert locations in case regional tensions require a venue change. The timing in early January allows Alonso to conclude the off-road event during the Formula 1 winter break before beginning pre-season preparations with Aston Martin.