Although it’s no real shock at this point, Fernando Alonso has been given permission by McLaren to race in the World Endurance Championship with Toyota Gazoo Racing. The primary reason for this partnership is to allow him to race in the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
Although it has already been confirmed that Fernando Alonso will be taking part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, McLaren’s permission also branches into other WEC events throughout the year. This could allow Alonso to race in the 6 Hours of Spa in early May, the 6 Hours of Silverstone in mid-August and the 6 Hours of Changhai in mid-November, on top of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June and his full Formula One schedule.
However, McLaren has specified that Formula One is still their number one priority, meaning that they have already ruled out allowing him to race in the 6 Hours of Fuji in October because it conflicts with the United States Grand Prix.
The news comes just a few days after the 24 Hours of Daytona, an IMSA event, in which Alonso raced with McLaren trainee Lando Norris and Philip Hanson for the United Autosports team. McLaren’s Executive Director, Zak Brown, knows that Alonso’s interest in the 24 Hours of Le Mans was no secret:
“It’s no secret that Fernando has wanted to contest the Le Mans 24 Hours. And I think everybody within our organisation appreciates that a motivated, hungry and happy world-class driver such as Fernando is a formidable asset for any team in F1.
Like Fernando, at McLaren we’re racers at heart, and our team is built on a brave heritage of competing and succeeding in different forms of the sport. Equally important is the confidence that nothing detracts from our number one goal of Formula 1. After proper evaluation, we are satisfied that this campaign does not do that, and that McLaren’s best interests prevail.”
A win in Le Mans would put Alonso one step closer to winning the Triple Crown of motorsport, an honor that only Graham Hill has achieved in history. Alonso has been given another chance to chase the Triple Crown, having already attempted the Indianapolis 500:
“I’ve never been shy about my aim of winning motorsport’s ‘Triple Crown’ – the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indy 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We tried for Indy last year, came close, but just missed out. This year, I have the chance thanks to McLaren to race for the win at Le Mans. It is a big challenge – much can go wrong – but I am ready, prepared and looking forward to the fight.”
A successful tour in the World Endurance Championship could also provide Alonso’s career with a future outside of Formula One, with his Formula One career rapidly coming to a close. Although, he will likely stay in Formula One for a little while longer.
