Alonso hints at more 2019 racing plans after Indy 500 deal
Fernando Alonso has continued to drop hints on his 2019 racing programme after his departure from Formula 1 at the end of this season having confirmed his return to the Indianapolis 500 next year.
Alonso will team up with a new McLaren Racing squad for the Indy 500, which was announced last night after qualifying for Brazilian Grand Prix, to expand his 2019 commitments to a minimum of four races – three remaining World Endurance Championship rounds plus the iconic US race in May.
Fernando Alonso has continued to drop hints on his 2019 racing programme after his departure from Formula 1 at the end of this season having confirmed his return to the Indianapolis 500 next year.
Alonso will team up with a new McLaren Racing squad for the Indy 500, which was announced last night after qualifying for Brazilian Grand Prix, to expand his 2019 commitments to a minimum of four races – three remaining World Endurance Championship rounds plus the iconic US race in May.
Currently, the two-time F1 world champion’s racing schedule would see him wrap up his season at next year’s Le Mans 24 Hours in mid-June but he has moved to speculate further announcements will be made in the coming weeks.
“I will do many more but you will know step-by-step. Today is the first one,” Alonso said at Interlagos. “Apart from the races, three races of WEC, there are four tests on those so if you add the three race weekends of racing and four weeks of testing it is already seven until June plus the test of IndyCar and two weeks of the Indy 500.
“If you see the calendar until June there are maybe two weeks off so even if it seems not too many races there are a lot of preparations into those races. I am looking forward to it and it is good to be back at Indy.”
Alonso has previously been linked to a partial IndyCar programme for 2019, likely to be with McLaren, with selected rounds in the US series alongside his already-confirmed Indy 500 return. Alonso made his Indy 500 debut in 2017 in an McLaren-Honda-Andretti entry which saw him skip the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Spaniard’s current 2019 racing programme, not including testing, sees him in action for Toyota Gazoo Racing at the 1000 Miles of Sebring in WEC (March 15) before the 6 Horus of Spa-Francorchamps (May 4).
The 103rd Indianapolis 500 takes place on May 26 three weeks before he returns to Toyota as the 2018-19 WEC season wraps up at Le Mans on June 15-16.
