Alonso ducks Monaco to go for Indy 500
FERNANDO Alonso has an impish habit of making events conform to his whim and that seemed to be behind yesterday’s news that he will skip next month’s Monaco Grand Prix to race in the Indianapolis 500 instead.
The announcement here in Bahrain before Sunday’s Formula One race clears the way for Jenson Button to return as a one- off replacement in Monte Carlo on May 25-28 while Alonso is in Indianapolis.
The Briton is paid £5million as McLaren’s reserve driver but has seemed content living with girlfriend Brittny Ward in America and competing in triathlons. Most thought he was unlikely to return to an F1 cockpit but that was before Alonso dropped his grenade.
Now the smart money says Button will be installed, once the dust has settled. From a PR perspective McLaren would not announce his return on the same day as Alonso’s departure. Instead, they can get two fanfares by trumpeting the big comeback at a later date.
The news of Alonso’s Indy appearance was delivered by Zak Brown, McLaren’s new American boss. He said he had tossed out the idea of entering Indy as a joke- cum- dream to Alonso before in pre-season and waited for a reaction. The Spaniard’s first response was amusement. Then he thought about it — and liked the idea.
The decision was cemented in Shanghai last week by Brown, McLaren racing director Eric Boullier and Alonso’s manager Luis Garcia Abad. ‘ I said I wanted a night to sleep on it,’ revealed Alonso. ‘I came into the paddock on Saturday and said I wanted to do it.’
So began a whirl of activity. and the deal was done with help from IndyCar officials and the Honda- affiliated Andretti Autosport team, under whose aegis Alonso will compete.
While McLaren have previously stated an intention to diversify into other forms of motor racing, Alonso’s contract situation appears to have played a part in putting him on the Indy grid so quickly.
The 35-year-old’s deal, worth £32m annually, expires at the end of the year and McLaren are keen to keep him longer. Whether the latitude he has been given will make that happen is unclear, given that he has expressed a wish to accomplish the Triple Crown of winning the Monaco Grand Prix, Le Mans 24 and Indianapolis 500.
Only Britain’s Graham Hill has ever accomplished the feat.
So if Alonso is going to match Hill he may need more time than he would have if he signed with McLaren for another two years. He acknowledged as much by saying: ‘ To win eight Formula One world championships would be great... one more than Michael (Schumacher). I probably don’t have time. The Triple Crown is one of the biggest challenges open to me.’
As of today he has 45 days to prepare for driving ovals. He said he knew ‘zero’ about Indy ‘technique, strategy and start procedures’ — and a question about milk left him bemused.
Milk is the traditional tipple for Indy winners but he must specify — whole milk, two per cent or fat free. ‘I’m learning so much,’ he smiled.
He will fly to Alabama to meet his new team after Sunday’s race and insists he has no fears. ‘I love motor racing, all types,’ said the double world champion. ‘It’s been my life since I sat behind a wheel aged three.’
Perhaps McLaren are showing vision, yet they certainly would not have allowed Alonso to go if he were contesting the title. In that sense it is a move born of weakness, even if it may lead to a more permanent presence on the other side of the Atlantic, where they have twice won the Indy 500 as a team.
Brown said no F1 resources would be lost to Monaco. Apart from the main man, of course.