Fernando Alonso Begins Dakar Rally Prep, Mercedes Rule Out Signing Spaniard

Fernando Alonso’s quest to become one of the legends of motorsport and not only Formula 1 continued in Namibia where he got behind the wheel of a Toyota Hilux to begin his transition to sand racing. The Spaniard’s next big assignment is expected to be the legendary Dakar Rally, which will take place in Saudi Arabia at the start of next season.

The 38-year-old is a double Formula 1 world champion and recently added to his kitty by winning the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) with Toyota Gazoo Racing team which also included two wins at the LeMans 24-hours. He was hoping to take part in the Indy500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway earlier this year but his McLaren team failed to qualify for the race.

McLaren Racing have since confirmed that they will be entering IndyCar full-time in 2020 but it is unlikely Alonso will join them as he does not hold interest in doing a full season in American single-seater racing. He will instead continue his alliance with Toyota Gazoo Racing Team and drive the team’s Hilux at the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia.

Alonso began his training in Namibia this week and described his first ventures over the sand dunes as “shocking” and revealed that he does not yet possess the refined technique that is required to tackle the dunes without getting into trouble. He was guided by 2009 Dakar winner Giniel de Villiers and five-time motorcycle winner Marc Coma.

"It has been a very interesting experience to climb the big dunes here in Namibia for the first time," Alonso told Motorsport.com, as quoted on Fi.com. "They were probably a bit shocking at the beginning and had to be approached with a lot of respect.”

"They require a refined technique that I don't yet have, and we were having to get out of some trouble that I was getting into from time to time,” he added. "I’m trying to walk before I run and I'm making little by little progress and gaining confidence. So far, so good.”

Alonso thanked Giniel, and the Toyota team for the opportunity with the Spaniard likely to get his first proper taste of off-road action at a round of the South African Cross Country Series, the Harrismith 400, which takes place on Sept. 13-14.

"Thanks to the team, to Giniel, to my teammate, to everybody, because we’re trying to make progress as quickly as possible and to hopefully have fewer scares with each next runs,” Alonso said.

Meanwhile, Mercedes F1 team boss Toto Wolff has ruled out the possibility of his team signing Alonso to partner him with Lewis Hamilton next season. It’s not because of Alonso’s age but because they do not want a repeat of their troubles as teammates at McLaren in 2007.

“Fernando is undoubtedly one of the strongest drivers and after his adventures at Ferrari he no longer had the opportunity to drive a competitive car,” Wolff said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, as quoted on Sport 24. “Due to a series of circumstances the top teams already have their "alpha" driver. Sometimes it’s not enough to be good at driving, you also need to have the right circumstances.”

“Yes,” he replied when asked if it was unthinkable that Alonso can be signed, “Because we don’t want to repeat certain stories from when the two were together with McLaren.”