Alonso doubts more F1 drivers will follow after Daytona debut

Fernando Alonso doubts his entry to the Rolex 24 at Daytona will open the door for more Formula 1 drivers to follow his lead and try their hand at sports car racing.

Alonso will make his sports car race debut later this month with United Autosports, having enjoyed a three-day test with the team last week at Daytona International Speedway.

Alonso is using the race as preparation for a possible entry to the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year with Toyota, with the race being a key part of his bid to become just the second driver in history to complete the 'triple crown of motorsport'.

F1 drivers crossing codes has been uncommon in recent years, and Alonso doubts his Daytona bow will spur other drivers on to follow his lead and make a similar move.

"I don’t think so," Alonso said. "There is one already, Lance Stroll, racing this weekend with us. I only see him maybe doing this because he loves racing as well and he’s from Canada and it’s part of his culture as well, these kind of races and the American championships.

"The other guys, I doubt it, because in Europe we normally focus everything on one championship. The teams, they became more and more professional. There are a lot of training camps, a lot of preparations, a lot of simulator time before the F1 winter testing starts, and it’s not easy for the drivers to go out of that one concept.

"I can do it because with Zak Brown and McLaren, they have maybe a different vision, a little bit more wide vision of motorsport, and I share that vision as well and we are expanding a little bit the McLaren brand as well in motorsport, and we try to do it together.

"I think for other drivers in Formula 1, it will be difficult to get that vision."

The last high-profile F1 driver to enjoy success outside of the sport was Nico Hulkenberg, who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Porsche while being under contract with the Force India team.

Alonso and Stroll will both race at Daytona later this month, while the likes of Romain Grosjean and Sergio Perez have also expressed an interest in sports car racing in the past.