Alonso & co
Finally break Le Mans jinx
Toyota ended years of heartache by winning the Le Mans 24 Hours race yesterday, with double Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso victorious on his debut and now one step away from the Triple Crown of Motorsport.
Expected to dominate the 86th edition of the race, as the only major manufacturer in the top LMP1 category after champions Porsche withdrew last year, Toyota’s victory came at the 20th attempt.
With a one-two finish they became only the second Japanese car company, after Mazda in 1991, to win the world’s greatest endurance race.
“It’s a shame the 24 Hours of Le Mans only happens once a year. They should hold it every two or three weeks,” said Alonso, 31, who has not won in F1 for five years.
The Spaniard shared the No 8 TS050 hybrid with Swiss driver Sebastien Buemi and Japan’s Kazuki Nakajima, who had taken pole position on Thursday and drove the final stint to the chequered flag.
The tension in the garage was palpable as the clock ticked down, Alonso and Buemi linking arms with other team members and praying that there was to be no repeat of past nightmares.
In 2016, Nakajima had also been heading for victory when he slowed with five minutes remaining and came to a halt with victory falling into Porsche’s lap.
The No 7 Toyota – driven by Japan’s Kamui Kobayashi to the chequered flag and shared with Briton Mike Conway and Argentina’s Jose Maria Lopez – crossed the line in one-two formation with Nakajima but two laps down.
The No 3 non-hybrid Rebellion R13 car – driven by Frenchman Thomas Laurent, Switzerland’s Mathias Beche and American Gustavo Menezes – finished third, 12 laps behind.
The McLaren driver, who will remain in France for next weekend’s Grand Prix at Le Castellet, has yet to win the Indianapolis 500 – a race he led last year before an engine failure – to match the late Graham Hill’s achievement.
There is speculation that this win could hasten his departure from F1, with McLaren still a long way off the podium. – Reuters