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Fernando Alonso has chosen to put his 17 year Formula One career on hold after the 2018 season to pursue other endeavours. It’s believed that he will be moving to IndyCar in pursuit of the Motorsport Triple Crown, for which he has already completed two of the three achievements.
It’s believed that the veteran driver will remain with McLaren in their new IndyCar push. Although an interest in IndyCar has not been officially confirmed by the team, the IndyCar CEO, Mark Miles, has spoke to the media, confirming that McLaren are currently attempting to get together a 2019 entry into the sport. Although the clock is ticking on this move, the Andretti Racing team could be linked to the McLaren efforts.
McLaren’s team has been rumored to consist of two cars, one of which will be driven by Fernando Alonso. Scott Dixon is also believed to be linked to the second seat at the team.
“Fernando is not only an outstanding ambassador for McLaren but also for Formula 1,” explained the McLaren Racing CEO, Zak Brown. “His 17 years in the sport, as arguably the pre-eminent driver of his generation and undoubtedly an F1 great, have added another layer to Formula 1’s rich history.”
Fernando Alonso is looking forward to new adventures and said that the decision was made months ago, in a statement:
“After 17 wonderful years in this amazing sport, it’s time for me to make a change and move on. I have enjoyed every single minute of those incredible seasons and I cannot thank enough the people who have contributed to make them all so special.
There are still several grands prix to go this season, and I will take part in them with more commitment and passion than ever.
Let’s see what the future brings; new exciting challenges are around the corner. I’m having one of the happiest times ever in my life but I need to go on exploring new adventures.
I want to thank everyone at McLaren. My heart is with the team forever. I know they will come back stronger and better in the future and it could be the right moment for me to be back in the series; that would make me really happy. I have built so many great relationships with many fantastic people at McLaren, and they have given me the opportunity to broaden my horizons and race in other categories. I feel I am a more complete driver now than ever.
I made this decision some months ago and it was a firm one. Nevertheless, I would like to sincerely thank Chase Carey and Liberty Media for the efforts made to change my mind and everyone who has contacted me during this time.
Finally, I would also like to thank my former teams, team-mates, competitors, colleagues, partners, journalists and everyone I have worked with in my F1 career. And, especially, my fans all over the world. I am quite sure our paths will cross again in the future.”
With Alonso sitting out of the 2019 season, Stoffel Vandoorne’s seat at McLaren may have just been saved. Vandoorne was previously believed to be on his way out of the team due to a lack of performance, with young hopeful Lando Norris set to replace him. Norris now may be in line for a seat alongside Vandoorne for the 2019 season.
If Alonso manages to win the Indianapolis 500, he will become the second racing driver in history to complete the Triple Crown of Motorsport, preceded only by Graham Hill. Alonso won the Monaco Grand Prix back in 2006 with Renault and the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Toyota on his debut earlier this year.
Alonso had a strong showing at his Indy500 debut in 2017, but it resulted in an engine failure with just 20 laps remaining in the race. Juan Pablo Montoya is the only other active driver to have won two legs of the Triple Crown (Indy500 and Monaco Grand Prix). Other drivers such as Jochen Rindt, Bruce McLaren, AJ Foyt, Tazio Nuvolari and Maurice Trintignant are the only other drivers to have won two legs, but none are still active.
Despite leaving Formula One, it’s possible that he could return to the sport in 2020, especially if he is still working for McLaren in their IndyCar campaign. However, such a return is unlikely, as we witnessed with Jenson Button, whose sabbatical was only supposed to last a single season.
