Fernando Alonso is a name synonymous with Formula One, but in recent times the Spaniard has dabbled in Nascar and the World Endurance Championship. And it appears as if the former world champion is now eyeing a move to rally driving. He plans to take up a seat with the South African based Toyota Gazoo Racing team. CGTN's Sias du Plessis has more.  

The Toyota Gazoo Racing team has had an incredible 2019, their triumph at the Dakar has attracted interest from all over the world, including the attention of two-time Formula One world champion and keen Dakar fan, Fernando Alonso who completed a two-day evaluation test in South Africa this week.

FERNANDO ALONSO FORMER FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPION "I rate all these drivers very very high, because I think this discipline in motorsport is one of the most complex ones. You fight against things that are out of your control. You are not in a closed environment like a circuit. You are in an open space. Maybe you need to adapt, to focus for a very long time because the stages are very long. Well, Dakar is the toughest race in the world, so it is not by chance they call it that."

Former Dakar champion, Giniel de Villiers, joined the 37-year-old behind the wheel and was impressed with what he saw.

GINIEL DE VILLIERS 2009 DAKAR CHAMPION "We have had a lap or two in the car. I just showed him the ropes. I can't teach him how to drive. He knows very well how to drive himself. It is just a case of he has got used to the car. He's got to get used to the terrain here, learn to read the bumps, learn to read the way over the dunes because that is something obviously he is not used to."

The former Ferrari and McLaren driver admitted that he had to get used to the new vehicle and the tricky terrain, but in the end, felt at home behind the wheel of the 5 liter V8 beast.

FERNANDO ALONSO FORMER FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPION "I don't know it is still only the first couple of minutes in the car, but I felt comfortable in the car and everyone was telling me how hot it was inside, but I felt okay the temperature. So I felt more comfort than what I thought probably."

Alonso will test the new McLaren car in Bahrain this weekend and is eager to make the transition into rally driving and he admits has been impressed by the Toyota team and its Dakar-winning car.

FERNANDO ALONSO FORMER FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPION "With the sand and the gravel, you make some grooves and you still need to adapt, so every run that we do is an improvement for myself and a new track that they discovered. So I never end in learning at the moment so happy with the experience. The car is just amazing."

SIAS DU PLESSIS JOHANNESBURG "Although it is still early days for the former F1 world champion and he is yet decide on a team for the 2020 envent, the next chapter in the racing evolution of Fernando Alonso could well be in one of these Toyota Hiluxs as a part of the South African team that just this year conquered the world's toughest race. Sias du Plessis, CGTN, Johannesburg."