McLaren has announced its come-back in the Indianapolis 500 after 38 years of absence with Andretti Autosport with no less than Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard will miss the Monaco Grand Prix to live that experience.
Fernando Alonso never hid his desire to claim the Triple Crown of motorsport (Monaco GP, Indy 500 and 24h of Le Mans). After succeeding in Monaco, Alonso starts his new challenge in Indycar. He says:
“I’m immensely excited that I’ll be racing in this year’s Indy 500, with McLaren, Honda and Andretti Autosport.
“The Indy 500 is one of the most famous races on the global motorsport calendar, rivalled only by the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Monaco Grand Prix [which Fernando has won twice, one of those victories at the wheel of a McLaren (in 2007)], and it’s of course a regret of mine that I won’t be able to race at Monaco this year.
McLaren Honda’s executive director, Zak Brown, hopes for a victory for Alonso in his Indy debuts, like Alexander Rossi last year:
“Could Fernando win this year’s Indy 500? Well, I wouldn’t be so silly as to make any such rash prediction, but I expect him to be in the mix. Put it this way: the team he’ll be racing for won the race last year, using the same Honda engine, and he’s the best racing driver in the world. That’s quite a compelling combination. So, yes, as I say, he’ll be in the mix.
On the other hand, Michael Andretti, executive director of Andretti Motorsport, does not fear Alonso’s lack of experience on ovals:
“I do believe that the Indianapolis 500 is one of the best places for a rookie to start because there is the opportunity for so much practice time on the track – and, as we have demonstrated, it can be won by a rookie. Fernando is a great talent and I have full confidence that he will represent very strongly for McLaren, Honda and Andretti Autosport.”
The Monaco Grand Prix will be the only one that Fernando Alonso will miss. The Spaniard will come back into the car for the Canadian Grand Prix. Although his replacement has not been announced yet, it should be Jenson Button who would replace the Spaniard since Nobuharu Matsushita will also race in Monaco in FIA F2.
