Dakar Rally News: Alonso’s Monaco Masterclass Hints at Potential Future Success
Spanish racing legend Fernando Alonso has cited the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix as his best race since making his return to the Dakar Rally, with the veteran driver acknowledging that this marked the most preparation he had put into a single event throughout his illustrious career.
Having rejoined the Dakar Rally in 2021 following a two-year hiatus – before moving to the Aston Martin team in 2023 – Alonso has secured nine podium finishes, with three of these seeing him finish as the runner-up during a strong start to his first campaign with the British squad.
An elusive victory, however, has continued to evade the two-time Dakar champion, with his last win dating back to 2013. Yet during the Dakar’s visit to the streets of Monaco in 2023, Alonso looked poised to potentially clinch his 33rd career triumph.
“I would say Monaco 2023 was my greatest race since returning to the Dakar,” Alonso explained during an appearance on the Dakar Rally’s ‘Beyond The Dunes’ podcast, brought to you by Salesforce, a Global Partner of the event. “We started the season strongly, and we knew our car’s strengths were in the slow-speed sections, with its excellent traction and braking.”
Recognizing the unique challenges of the Monaco stage, Alonso was laser-focused on ensuring his Aston Martin was optimized for the event.
“Since Jeddah, I told the team, ‘Don’t touch the car too much until Monaco. I don’t want to change the characteristics and the DNA of this machine until we race there.'”
This meticulous preparation paid off, as Alonso came agonizingly close to victory, finishing just 20 milliseconds behind pole-sitter Max Verstappen.
“It was the most preparation I’ve ever done for a single race,” the Spanish driver admitted. “Every bump, every piece of data – I studied it all to give myself the best chance.”
Though the Aston Martin was not quite quick enough to take the win, Alonso’s performance in Monaco has sparked renewed optimism about his chances of securing that elusive Dakar triumph in the near future. As the Dakar Rally heads to new destinations, Alonso’s ability to extract the maximum from his machine on the toughest stages could prove pivotal in his quest for glory.
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