It looks like Fernando Alonso is keeping his calendar full and staying true to his goals. According to Racer.com on their report on the Spanish racer from earlier yesterday (Nov 7, 2017) not only does Alonso have the blessing from McLaren to race with Toyota should he be approached but probably already has a seat setup for testing in Toyota’s LMP1 machine if the rumors are true. The 36-year-old racing driver made headlines earlier last month when he re-committed to McLaren for the 2018 Formula 1 season.
Alonso expressed his want to achieve the motorsports triple crown with a Monaco Grand Prix, Indy 500, and 24 Hours of Le Mans win. Alonso already has a Monaco first place finish under his belt with a win under McLaren Mercedes back in 2009. Thanks to his partnership with Honda, Alonso was able to secure a seat in the 2017 Indy 500 where he finished 24th, so we can expect him to return to Indianapolis again next year.
But with the announcement that Porsche was pulling out of LMP1 earlier in the year, the future of LMP1 in the 24 Hours of Le Mans was in jeopardy. News that Manor was joining the LMP1 class using a Ginetta prototype was a welcome update to Toyota that they’d at least have some competition in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but it’s still pretty much a one-horse race. Nevertheless, this lack of competition hasn’t stopped Toyota from pouring R&D into winning in 2018, and that means finding ace drivers.
The final round of the World Endurance Championship will be in less than two weeks before Thanksgiving from the 16-18th. if Toyota really has Alonso lined up, we’ll see Alonso suited up in a Toyota racing suit with a test on the Sakhir race circuit after the race.
Some critics of this announcement go back to the fact that Toyota is the only serious competitor in LMP1. In Toyota’s defense, running a 24-hour race is no ordinary feat. The old adage rings true, “to finish first, first, you have to finish.” Although we’d like to see Alonso possibly compete in a more competitive scene, a win is a win in the annals of racing history.
