Former Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso will skip the Monaco Grand Prix and instead race in the Indianapolis 500, a surprising move that involves prominent teams in Formula One and IndyCar combining their efforts.
Fernando Alonso will race Indianapolis 500, skip F1 Monaco G.P.
The surprising announcement will see Fernando Alonso miss Formula One’s biggest race to focus his attention on the Indianapolis 500.
Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images
Alonso entering the 101st Indianapolis 500 is a shock, as he was committed to running the full F1 schedule for McLaren, and drivers moving between the two open-wheel series during the season is rare. But McLaren not only signed off on the decision, it is partnering with IndyCar Series mainstay Andretti Autosport to secure Alonso a ride in one of motorsports crown jewel races. Both McLaren and Andretti are Honda-supported teams.
“I’m immensely excited that I’ll be racing in this year’s Indy 500 with McLaren, Honda and Andretti Autosport,” Alonso said in a statement.
“The Indy 500 is one of the most famous races on the global motorsport calendar, rivaled only by the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Monaco Grand Prix, and it’s of course a regret of mine that I won’t be able to race at Monaco this year.”
Alonso won F1 championships in 2005-2006 and his 32 Grand Prix wins rank sixth all-time. The Spaniard has never driven an Indy car nor raced on an oval, but he is confident he can acclimate. He will fly to Indianapolis following the Spanish Grand Prix on May 14 and will have two weeks of practice before the Indianapolis 500 on May 28.
Alonso will return to running the remaining Formula One schedule after Indianapolis. McLaren has not announced who will fill in for Alonso at Monaco.
“I’ve never raced an IndyCar car before, and neither have I ever driven on a superspeedway, but I’m confident that I’ll get to grips with it fast,” Alonso said. “I’ve watched a lot of IndyCar action on TV and online, and it’s clear that great precision is required to race in close proximity with other cars on the far side of 220 mph.
“I realize I’ll be on a steep learning curve, but I’ll be flying to Indianapolis from Barcelona immediately after the Spanish Grand Prix, practicing our McLaren-Honda-Andretti car at Indy from May 15 onwards, hopefully clocking up a large number of miles every day, and I know how good the Andretti Autosport guys are. I’ll be proud to race with them, and I intend to mine their knowledge and expertise for as much info as I possibly can.”
Andretti is one of IndyCar’s top organizations and won the Indianapolis 500 with driver Alexander Rossi a year ago. The team, owned by Michael Andretti, son of former Formula One champion Mario Andretti, will field six entries in this year’s race.
“Fernando’s lack of experience on superspeedways is not of concern to me,” Michael Andretti said in a statement. “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.”
