Fernando Alonso is expected to return to the Dakar Rally in 2027 with Aston Martin backing, driving a car prepared by Prodrive and based on the Dacia Sandrider. Autosport reports that the deal was agreed in August and only recently surfaced in Spanish media. Neither Aston Martin nor the rally programme has officially confirmed the plan.

The reported move follows months of speculation about Alonso’s Formula 1 future. Autosport understands he has agreed favourable terms with Aston Martin to remain in F1 for 2027, while also securing the manufacturer’s support for another attempt at the Dakar. At the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia last weekend, Alonso hinted that “surprises” could emerge “in the next few weeks”. Many took that to refer to a possible GT racing entry with Max Verstappen, but the reported project is instead a return to an event Alonso has already contested.

Alonso drove for Toyota at the Dakar in 2020 and finished 13th. The rally is an annual endurance event known for its difficulty. It began as the Paris-Dakar Rally, but instability in North Africa forced it to move. After several years in South America, it is now based in Saudi Arabia, though the location of the 2027 edition is in question.

Alonso has previously pursued racing outside F1. During his second stint with McLaren in the mid-2010s, he became dissatisfied with the competitiveness of the Honda-powered team and negotiated permission to enter the Indianapolis 500. He then took a sabbatical from F1 between 2018 and 2021, during which he raced at the Indy 500 again and won the Le Mans 24 Hours outright with Toyota in both 2018 and 2019.

“Yes, exactly, I had to stop. I had to switch off from Formula 1,” Alonso said of those experiences. “I had to experience different formulas and different series, and learn from the specialists in those series and become a more complete driver. That was very important for me and I still find those challenges appealing. I don't know when I will do it, but I will repeat those experiences.”

He said racing across different categories and adapting to changing cars and rules are central to his approach. “I love challenges. My way of understanding motorsport and my way of living is around racing cars. It has been all my life and I think my strength has been to adapt to different cars, different rules: V10, V8, V6, Bridgestone, Michelin, Pirelli, KERS, hybrid, ground-effect cars, all these different things. Plus different series: prototypes, Indy, Dakar.”

Alonso said he wants to test what remains possible in motorsport. “I try to use that strength and maybe do things that were possible in the 1960s, '80s or '90s and now probably no one will try. Max is the only one trying to do some GT racing. But apart from that, I like that challenge.” He added: “I tried these things in the past and I will continue doing that. So maybe, yeah, you have more surprises in the next few weeks. There are things that people probably think that are impossible, but I want to find the limits of what is possible.”

The proposed Aston Martin entry would use the Sandrider as its foundation. The vehicle won the most recent Dakar in the hands of Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Fabian Lurquin. Dacia announced shortly after that victory that it would end its World Rally-Raid Championship programme a year earlier than planned, at the end of 2026 rather than the end of 2027.

The Sandrider evolved from Prodrive’s Hunter project. It was re-engined and given new bodywork to resemble Dacia’s Manifesto concept car. The base vehicle can be adapted with changes to its body and powertrain. Autosport says one option under consideration is to name the new car the Dreadnought, after a virtual Aston Martin concept vehicle in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, and give it similar styling.

Prodrive has a long association with Aston Martin. Its founder, David Richards, was chairman of the British marque from 2007 to 2013, and Prodrive operated Aston Martin’s successful GT and prototype sportscar racing programme. The first tests using the Dacia Sandrider as the basis for the Dakar Aston Martin are reportedly expected within the next few weeks.

Marc Coma is expected to return as Alonso’s co-driver. The fellow Spaniard partnered him at the 2020 Dakar and is a five-time winner of the motorcycle category, taking victories with KTM between 2006 and 2015. Prodrive is reportedly planning a full Dakar team built around the Sandrider project, rather than a single car for Alonso and Coma. Spanish media reports say Al-Attiyah and Sebastien Loeb are also being considered as drivers.

The 2027 rally is officially scheduled for Saudi Arabia from Jan. 1 to 15. Organiser ASO has published a route of 13 stages, with 5,320 kilometres of competitive running, and the FIA still lists Saudi Arabia as the host country. However, security concerns tied to the geopolitical situation in the Middle East have created uncertainty about whether the event can be held there.

Recent reports say ASO is working on a contingency plan that could see Morocco become an alternative host. A more compact rally of about eight stages is reportedly being considered, but there has been no final decision to move the event. The Dakar ran from Europe into West Africa for decades during its classic era, usually ending in Dakar, until the 2008 edition was cancelled because of security concerns in Mauritania. From 2009 to 2019, it was held in South America while retaining the Dakar name; it moved to Saudi Arabia in 2020.

Based on reporting by Autosport.