23/11/2017
NEWS STORY
While many assumed Le Mans was a definite in Fernando Alonso's diary for 2018, that would not appear to be the case.
Speaking at today's FIA press conference in Abu Dhabi, just days after he tried Toyota's Le Mans challenger, he admitted that even though next year's race doesn't clash with F1, he has yet to make a decision.
"I didn't decide yet," he told reporters. "Sure I will do Le Mans in the future, it's a race that I feel is very attractive, but I don't know if that's going to happen next year or the following year or in the long term.
Asked about his outings this week which have seen him try the Toyota LMP1 car and Ligier LMP2, which he will drive at Daytona, he said: "It feels great, I'm behind a steering wheel every week with different cars.
"Obviously the last two were public," he continued, I was happy, first in Bahrain, where I had the opportunity to test the LMP1, obviously different cars, some technologies that we don't have yet in F1, or that have been banned, like traction control, four-wheel-drive, things like that.
"Obviously it requires a different driving style," he admitted, "some limitations with fuel and things like that, a bit more frustrating than what we have here, but overall it has been a good experience.
"I was happy with the first day of driving, but I think I need much more practice and more time to get up to speed with the driving style," he admitted, which may well be the reason for his hesitation in committing to a 2018 Le Mans outing at this stage.
"With the LMP2, in Spain, testing for Daytona, it was also good fun," he said, "but again, very different, more raw, a little bit, more simple but good fun."
Asked if he is surprised by his own versatility, he replied: "No, because you believe in yourself. You can adapt very quickly to things, and that has been one of my strongest pints in my career here in F1. Maybe I'm not the fastest in qualifying, not the fastest in the race, not fastest in the wet, but I'm quite good in everything.
"I was ready for the challenge of different series, to compete against the best drivers in that particular series, or that specific driving style; I'm learning from them, taking all the advice that I can, that's a challenge."
Check out our Thursday gallery from Yas Island, here.