Alonso 'doing well' in off-road rallying - Sainz

Fernando Alonso is doing "very well" as he adjusts to the world of off-road rallying, according to his friend Carlos Sainz.

In the last days, The two-time world champion raced a Toyota Hilux in the Lichtenburg 400 rally-raid event in South Africa.

The event resulted in Alonso's first rollover crash.

"My father says that he is doing very well," Sainz, whose father is a rallying legend and Dakar Rally regular, said.

"He told me he is very surprised at how close he is to the times. As for the problems, they always happen. My father suffered setbacks throughout his career.

"It's just part of rally raid," Sainz added.

25-year-old Sainz himself is preparing for the Singapore GP this weekend, admitting that F1 is entering the tiring final third of a long calendar.

"The body wears down with so much travel," he said, "but we all like what we do."