Fernando Alonso maybe in a Toyota for the World Endurance Championship’s 24 Hours of Le Mans race next June, having received permission from McLaren and gained the attention of Toyota. This could give him the opportunity to win the event, thanks to the absence of Porsche.
The whole deal would revolve around the future of Toyota. The team is set to decide about whether to continue in the LMP1 class of the WEC series in October. However, even if the team were to leave the sport, they are still expected to compete at major events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
McLaren boss Zak Brown has told the media that he and Alonso already spoke about taking part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2018. Because the date of the event does not clash with any Formula One races, Brown has said that he would be willing to give Alonso permission to race in the event. This is of course assuming that Alonso remains with McLaren for another year, as that decision is still in progress.
Alonso stirred up a lot of interest earlier in the year, opting to skip the Monaco Grand Prix to compete in the Indianapolis 500 with Andretti Autosport. The same opportunity is not expected to present itself in 2018, as McLaren would be unlikely to allow Alonso to skip Monaco again.
However, now that Porsche is out of the way, a Toyota car has a very good chance of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This would give Alonso a perfect chance for a bid at the Triple Crown of Motorsport (Indianapolis 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Monaco Grand Prix). A win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans would allow him to complete two of the three achievements on the list, with the possibility of winning the Indianapolis 500 in the future.
