Fernando Alonso to race at Indy 500 with McLaren Honda and Andretti Autosport

McLaren announced that McLaren Honda’s FIA Formula One World Championship driver Fernando Alonso will participate in the 101st Indianapolis 500.

Fernando’s participation in this year’s Indy500, one of the Triple Crown of motorsport [the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indy500 and the Le Mans 24 Hours], is a fantastic opportunity for all those involved, and it realises a dream Fernando has had to compete in other legendary motorsport events around the world.

Fernando will race for McLaren-Honda-Andretti team with Honda powered 2.2-litre twin-turbo V6, limited by IndyCar regulations to 12,000rpm.

The car will be run by the Andretti Autosport team, headed by founder, owner and Chief Executive Officer Michael Andretti, a former IndyCar champion who raced in Formula 1 for McLaren. Fernando will also be a team mate of Takuma Sato, a former F1 driver who joined Andretti Autosport from 2017 season.

Andretti Autosport will be racing in Indy500 with 6 cars with Honda engine, including Fernando’s McLaren-Honda-Andretti.

Since the Indy500 will take place on May 28th, the same day as the Monaco Grand Prix, Fernando will not race at Monaco this year. The Indy500 will be the only 2017 IndyCar race in which Fernando will compete, however, and the Monaco Grand Prix will therefore be the only 2017 Formula 1 race in which he will not compete.

Fernando Alonso said,“I’m immensely excited that I’ll be racing in this year’s Indy 500, with McLaren, Honda and Andretti Autosport.

The Indy500 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. But Monaco will be the only 2017 Grand Prix I’ll be missing, and I’ll be back in the cockpit of the McLaren-Honda MCL32 for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal in early June.

“I’ve never raced an IndyCar car before, and neither have I ever driven on a super-speedway, but I’m confident that I’ll get to grips with it fast. 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 220mph [354km/h]. I realise 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 in Indianapolis from May 15th 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.

“I’ve won the Monaco Grand Prix twice, and it’s one of my ambitions to win the Triple Crown [the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 and the Le Mans 24 Hours], which has been achieved by only one driver in the history of motorsport: Graham Hill. It’s a tough challenge, but I’m up for it. I don’t know when I’m going to race at Le Mans, but one day I intend to. I’m only 35: I’ve got plenty of time for that.”