Fernando Alonso has denied media claims that he is to contest next year's Dakar Rally.

On the run-up to the Singapore weekend there were claims that the Spaniard was to contest the event with backing from Aston Martin.

In 2020, while taking a break from F1 as he pursued his Triple Crown dream, he contested the infamous rally with Toyota on the back of an intense five-month testing programme in Africa, Europe and the Middle East contesting various races to prepare himself.

Along with co-driver Marc Coma, a five-time Dakar Rally bike class winner, he finished thirteenth with a best stage finish of second place. However, a stop for repairs on the second stage and an accident on the tenth lost him several hours in the general classification.

Asked in Singapore about the latest reports, the Spaniard said: "I read those rumours, but no, I don't think it's possible physically. It's nearly impossible to fit two demanding programmes like a Formula 1 championship and Dakar."

Of course, as Max Verstappen heads to Portugal for the GT World Challenge, there has been speculating linking the Aston Martin driver with GT3 also.

"GT3, I never tried" said the two-time world champion. "I mean, it needs a very big preparation. I mean, every one of these challenges, I think because they were good or more or less competitive in the past, people think that they are easy. It requires a lot of preparation, a lot of determination, a lot of luck to succeed.

"So, when I do the next challenge, I will announce it. It will not be a rumour, it will be myself doing it, and it will be because I think there is enough preparation and enough of a risk to take."

However, when asked if, once he opts to retire from F1, whether he will still continue racing, the Spaniard is in no doubt.

"I've been racing different series, and I will drive different series when I stop F1 as well," he smiled. "It's just competing, feeling the adrenaline of driving a race car. And yes, it's a way of living, probably."

All that was missing was Michael Delaney's "Racing is Life. Anything before or after is just waiting".