Alonso linked to possible 2027 Dakar return with Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso is preparing for a possible return to the Dakar Rally in 2027 with a proposed Aston Martin-branded vehicle developed by Prodrive, according to reports. The programme has not been officially confirmed, and details of the car and team remain unsettled. The proposed vehicle is based on the Dacia Sandrider, with a revised body and Aston Martin branding. Reports also name Marc Coma, who partnered Alonso in his first Dakar appearance, as the expected co-driver. Daniel Gratacós has been mentioned as an engineer who could work on the project. These arrangements have not been formally announced. Alonso competed in the Dakar in 2020 with Toyota and finished 13th, with Coma alongside him. A return would add an off-road rally programme to his Formula 1 commitments with Aston Martin, but the available reports do not establish that he has signed or that the team has approved an entry. Reports of possible testing and a wider Prodrive team are also unconfirmed. The proposed car would draw on Prodrive’s Sandrider project rather than represent a wholly new vehicle.