Alonso and the Triple Crown Bid

A dream came true when Fernando Alonso won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Toyota, and, he did something else besides. Namely, completing the second leg of his pursuit of the Monaco Triple Crown, made up of the Monaco Grand Prix, the Le Mans, and the Indianapolis 500.

Only one other racing driver managed this feat, and that was Graham Hill back in 1972, close on 50 years ago.

The question on everyone's lips, and maybe especially punters who follow the Formula One thanks to the sports betting NZ and the rest of the globe provides, is what's next? What is Alonso going to do now? Is he going to turn his focus totally on acquiring the Triple Crown? And will that mean he calls time on his career with F1?

A Choice to Make

The Spanish driver picked his first international racing win up since May 2013 at the World Endurance Championship this season. He then backed it up with the win at Le Mans, partnered by Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastien Buemi.

Although he marked 300 Grand Prix in Canada, he's approaching 100 without a win. There is also almost no prospect of a race win in Formula One on the horizon, thanks to McLaren lagging so far behind the other cars powered by Renault, and that's before Mercedes and Ferrari come in to play.

Does this mean he will quit Formula One and focus on next year's Indy 500? Or will he try to combine that event with a 2018 F1 schedule?

No Race Calendar for 2019 Yet

While the calendar for F1 racing in 2019 have not yet been put in place, the FIA Championship promoters have met to look at the timetable. IndyCar wasn't part of the meeting, but it's definitely a clash that Formula One would prefer to avoid.

The World Endurance Championship, WEC, has already adjusted its Fuji schedule for later this year in order to accommodate Alonso because he's doing that Championship alongside the Formula One. And the driver is also committed to the Superseason, made up of two Le Mans 24 Hours, and featuring races in March 2019 in Sebring, and at Spa in May.

Alonso and the Indy 500 are a Sure Thing

Alonso will definitely try for a win at the Indy 500 now, and it's going to be interesting to see if McLaren will enter him, and which team they partner with if they do.

The last time saw him running with engines by Honda, but, since his split at the end of last season with them, the irony of his Le Mans triumph with Toyota will not be missed by the senior management there. It's a huge victory for Toyota, with this being the first win they've managed in many years.

Tom Kristensen, the Danish former racing driver who won Le Mans nine times, has said that he feels that Alonso sees himself as a possible World Endurance champion, and that this means he will keep driving until at least Le Mans next year.