Fernando Alonso is in talks to make his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2018 with Porsche as part of his Triple Crown bid, according to reports.
Alonso announced earlier this week that he would be entering the Indianapolis 500 in 2017 as part of a joint entry between McLaren, Honda and Andretti Autosport, skipping the Monaco Grand Prix in the process.
Alonso said that the decision to go to Indianapolis was fuelled by his bid to become just the second driver in history to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport, comprising the Monaco Grand Prix, Indy 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The Spaniard could now be set to take on the third tenet in 2018, with Spanish newspaper Marca’s report on Sunday saying that he has revived talks with Porsche about a possible seat after receiving the blessing of McLaren executive director Zak Brown, who was also the driving force behind his Indy 500 deal.
Alonso has long expressed an interest in Le Mans, waving the flag to start the race for the 2014 event as grand marshal. He had asked to race for Ferrari in the GTE Pro class that year, only for then-team principal Marco Mattiacci to block the deal.
Alonso was in contention to race in Porsche’s third car at Le Mans in 2015, but the deal was vetoed, freeing up a place for fellow F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg to take overall victory alongside Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber.
While Alonso may be racing for a different car company in 2018 at Le Mans, McLaren may see it as an opportunity for the two-time F1 champion to gain experience before leading its GTE factory effort at the race in 2019, with plans understood to be in place for a future entry to the class.
A deal with Porsche for Le Mans would also be reliant on a seat being opened up for the race. Porsche currently fields just two cars in the FIA World Endurance Championship filled by six factory drivers, meaning that a third LMP1 entry may be required for Le Mans if Alonso were to secure a seat.
Alonso’s current contract with McLaren expires at the end of 2017.
Latest Tweets from Crash.net & GPF1rst
Comments
