Alonso: IndyCar in 2019 a ‘very attractive target'

Newly-crowned 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Fernando Alonso admits a full-time switch into IndyCar is a “very attractive target” in his quest to win motorsport’s ‘Triple Crown’. 

Alonso completed the second leg of his bid to become just the second driver after Graham Hill to achieve the feat - consisting of victories at the Monaco Grand Prix, Le Mans and Indianapolis 500 - by helping Toyota claim a long-awaited maiden victory at the prestigious endurance race alongside teammates Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastien Buemi. 

Having won at Le Mans in his first attempt, Alonso said he is now targeting the World Endurance Championship title - a series he leads after taking his first international race win since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix at the opening round of the 2018-2019 Superseason in Spa last month.

The Spaniard now only needs to win the Indy 500 to succeed in his bid. Alonso suffered a heartbreaking engine failure while challenging for victory on his debut at Indy in 2017 and conceded a return to the Brickyard is on his mind.

“IndyCar is definitely one of the legs of the Triple Crown and I attempted it last year with that intention and we were leading the race and close to winning but we missed the opportunity,” Alonso explained. 

“It is definitely a very attractive target to try for the Triple Crown and see if I can be a better driver, a more complete driver.”

The two-time F1 world champion has spent recent years languishing towards the back of the grid in uncompetitive machinery during a disastrous spell for McLaren as it partnered Japanese engine manufacturer Honda. 

Three years of poor performance and unreliability persuaded McLaren to take on Renault power units for 2018 in the hope of returning to its former glory days, but the Woking-based team is yet to meet its pre-season expectations of recording podium finishes during the opening seven rounds. 

Alonso appears to be growing-ever more disillusioned with F1, having called out the sport for its predictability and lack of competition in recent years, and is considering his future with McLaren mulling over a possible IndyCar programme in 2019. 

McLaren racing CEO Zak Brown attended the recent Verizon IndyCar Series round in Detroit and revealed an entry for next season is “looking favourable” so long as it does not compromise its F1 interests. 

When asked about a possible full-time switch to IndyCar, Alonso replied: “I will make my mind up after the summer what I will do next year, but after winning Le Mans, Indy comes into play with a high priority. Let’s see if it is next year or the following year. Let's see what the future of F1 will be.

“To be a better driver, a more complete driver, you need to win in every series against the specialists of those series," he added. "To beat the specialists in oval racing or here in endurance the guys as they know every little trick here so to be able to come here and be at that level is great. It makes it a very attractive target.

“Being in F1 you just follow your team performance and if your team is first you will be first or second and if your team is third you with be fifth or sixth.”