• First day of the Dakar. Zala surprises, Sainz responds and Alonso looks despite suffering two punctures

Fernando Alonso said this Sunday, after being eleventh in the first stage of his career at the Dakar rally, which was conservative and did not drive thoroughly, since his strategy is to avoid mistakes and possible damage until the second week of the competition. "More or less I expected this rhythm . I know I have more in my pocket, but it is not the time to take it out. If we arrive with the car in perfect condition for that week, we will try to throw a little more," Alonso said after being 15 minutes from Lithuanian Vaidotas Zala , winner of the inaugural stage of the Dakar.

The double world champion of Formula One emphasized that his hopes are set in the second part of the race , after the rest day in Riyadh , when the rally is expected to be more defined and cleaner, without so many cars, motorcycles and quads to which to advance from mid-stage onwards. "That is the idea: to pass these first stages without doing any excess or extra thing and try to learn from the race while we are in it," he said.

Satisfied with the Toyota

Alonso explained that "a first stage is always of extra tension ", but that "the car has gone well throughout the stage", although "there will never be a perfect day." I cannot say that it was a stage without complications, because we have all had them, and this will be a constant throughout the rally. We have not had any fright or fright. It was what we wanted: to start with a little caution and without any mistakes, "he said.

The Spaniard indicated that he feels very comfortable behind the wheel of the Toyota Hilux, the winning car of the last Dakar, and stressed that his teammates Nasser Al Attiyah and Giniel De Villiers , with much more experience than him in the rally, had much more problems serious, especially numerous punctures.

Punctures are "a matter of luck"

"I think that the tires are a matter of luck. In Morocco it happened to me and it seemed inexperience. This time it was their turn," Alonso recalled.

The Spanish driver argued that from the steering wheel it is difficult to know if the stone through which the car passes is a song that can damage the car or is a round rock, so this type of contingency blamed them on a matter of luck.

The biggest problem suffered by Alonso in his debut at the Dakar was a navigation error - they lost between two and three minutes to find the right path - which forced him to rejoin the road with three cars ahead, so he had to get off The rhythm for a few minutes.

Full trust in Marc Coma

The Spaniard said that at that time his co-pilot, Marc Coma , pentacampeón of the Dakar on motorcycles, reminded him that it happens very often in raids. "It is clear that I do not have the capacity to doubt anything that he does. Although at that moment it is frustrating because of the heat of the moment, you realize that when the stage ends we are always the ones who work best," he said.

Alonso said that he and Coma are still "honeymoon " and that they have been able to form an effective couple in a short time to get through each stage of the Dakar.

At ease with living in a caravan

Alonso also commented that he feels comfortable living in a caravan during the rally because he can shower and sleep at the end of each stage, without having to travel to a hotel. "I like the atmosphere here and being near the car," he added.

He stressed that the stages require a lot of mental energy because of the high concentration they require to be aware of a lot of details, above the physical wear and tear because "the car is not physically hard".

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  • Dakar Rally
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