Fernando Alonso says he would be open to a return to Formula One in 2021 if the right opportunity presented itself.
Alonso left F1 at the end of 2018 after four frustrating years at McLaren without a victory or podium appearance. The Spaniard, who won his F1 world titles in 2005 and 2006, has turned his attention to other pursuits outside of F1 since, winning the Le Mans 24 Hours with Toyota in 2018.
Alonso is set to participate in the Dakar Rally in January 2020 and will then set his sights on winning the Indy 500 at the third attempt — he led for a spell on his debut at the Brickyard in 2017, but ultimately failed to finish following a Honda engine issue. On his return last year a catalouge of McLaren errors in the build-up meant he failed to qualify for the race itself.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Alonso said he is still happy to consider a return to the F1 grid.
“I’m doing Dakar in January which is a big challenge and next year hopefully Indy is in the plan again,” he said. “I’ll try and do a little bit better than this year!
“We will keep it open in the future, maybe Formula One in 2021, maybe hyper car in the WEC [World Endurance Championship.]
“I think in 2021 that is the reason why I keep open the possibilities. Maybe things mix up with the new rules so let’s see if an opportunity comes.”