Fernando Alonso's Toyota Le Mans deal: Fans have their say
Two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso will again attempt a leg of the triple crown by competing at the 2018 Le Mans 24 Hours with Toyota.
Having prepared for his Le Mans debut by racing in last weekend's Daytona 24 Hours, following World Endurance Championship LMP1 a test with Toyota at the end of last year, Alonso will also complete the majority of the WEC - missing only Fuji as it clashes with his F1 commitments.
Alonso captured the imagination of motorsport fans with his Indianapolis 500 attempt in 2017 and the top discussion on the Autosport Forums is the Spaniard's future Le Mans appearance.
Ben1445: This man is rewriting the rules on F1 drivers and multi-series participation. May others follow his lead. All hats off to [McLaren CEO] Zak Brown. He sees the bigger picture of allowing his driver to expand his horizons and help the sport as a whole.
P123: Let's hope Toyota has a bit more luck this year too.
Mc_Silver: Alonso is very hungry for success and this announcement shows that he wants to compete at the highest level. I'm sure he will be strong in WEC as well as F1.
I don't think WEC will be a distraction for him. He is a very experienced guy and knows what he is doing. Zak knows that keeping Alonso happy will be a win-win situation for them.
midgrid: Will Alonso and Toyota's bad luck cancel each other out and produce a guaranteed victory at Le Mans?
Joeski: People that believe this can have a big impact on his F1 season should look at all the IndyCar drivers that also race in [the] IMSA SportsCar championship.
messy: That's great news and quite a surprise that he's doing virtually the full season! Used to seeing drivers combine a WEC campaign with Formula E or Super Formula, but F1?
Imagine if he's in the title hunt, he might actually end up skipping the GP for Fuji? We'll see how it plays out.
Marklar: This is even better than news than his Indy 500 entry last year.
Owen: As a McLaren fan; not entirely sold on the wisdom of this. But I suspect the team had little choice, in reality. I hope it boosts Fernando's F1 performances at McLaren rather than degrade them.
JHSingo: Awesome news! Just a pity the WEC is facing a down year in its top class. Although knowing Alonso's bad luck and Toyota's curse at Le Mans, Ginetta will end up winning Le Mans.
August: Kind of surprising but nevertheless great to see Alonso doing not only Spa and Le Mans but the full season excluding clashes with F1.
Hopefully, more F1 drivers will follow Alonso to race in other categories during the season, and team principals agree to it.
AmonGods: I guess he doesn't have much faith in McLaren coming good this year. People were expecting McLaren to fight at the top this year, even maybe win races.
sladealonso: It's very likely Alonso will win a race or two at Toyota and hopefully Le Mans falls into that, personality I can't wait to see him back at the top of the podium. It's been too long.
Zdroj: autosport.com