“I’ve never been shy about my aim of winning motorsport’s Triple Crown – the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indy 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We tried for Indy last year, came close, but just missed out,’ Alonso said. “This year, I have the chance thanks to McLaren to race for the win at Le Mans. It is a big challenge – much can go wrong – but I am ready, prepared and looking forward to the fight.
“My deal to race in WEC was only made possible through the good understanding and strong relationship I have with McLaren, and I’m very happy that they listened and understood what this means to me.”
Formula One will remain Alonso’s top priority, so Alonso will schedule his sports car commitments around grands prix. As a result, he will not compete in the World Endurance Championship’s Japanese round on Oct. 21 because it would clash with the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
“In no way will this challenge take away from my main target of Formula One with McLaren,” Alonso said. “In 2018, my aim is to be competitive at every grand prix, and I feel sure that we are closer to achieving that.”
Alonso made his sports car debut last weekend during the Rolex 24 driving for United Autosports, which is owned by McLaren Technology Group Executive Director Zak Brown.
“It’s no secret that Fernando has wanted to contest the Le Mans 24 Hours and I think everybody within our organisation appreciates that a motivated, hungry and happy world-class driver such as Fernando is a formidable asset for any team in F-1,” said Brown. “Last year, we came to the joint decision to go racing with Fernando at the Indy 500 rather than at the Monaco Grand Prix. But we’ve always said that we would consider each opportunity on a case-by-case basis, and we both know that, in 2018, our core priority is success in Formula One.
“Like Fernando, at McLaren we’re racers at heart, and our team is built on a brave heritage of competing and succeeding in different forms of the sport. Equally important is the confidence that nothing detracts from our number one goal of Formula One. After proper evaluation, we are satisfied that this campaign does not do that, and that McLaren’s best interests prevail.”
Source : speedsport.com
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