Fernando Alonso Says That He May Return To The Indy 500 After F1 Stint

Former two-time world champion Fernando Alonso may be returning to F1 after a hiatus of two years, but he has not ruled out the possibility of returning to the Indianapolis Speedway to complete his elusive quest for the triple crown. Alonso who won his first two F1 world titles with Renault has also won the Monaco GP and the 24 hours LeMans race, just needs the Indy 500 win to become only the second driver after Graham Hill to complete the triple crown. "I don't know, today is a bit like my return to F1, the door is not closed because I don't know what I want to do in two, three or four years when the F1 adventure ends," he told Spanish daily AS. 

Also Read: F1: Fernando Alonso To Return To Formula 1 With Renault In 2021

Fernando Alonso managed to finish in 21st place in the Indy 500 this year | Photo Credit: AFP

Alonso in his time away from F1 has participated in the Dakar Rally, the LeMans 24-hour race and also the Indy500. Alonso unsuccessfully competed in the Indy 500 this year and managed the only 21st. His first attempt happened when he was at McLaren in F1 in his last season where he was leading the race but had engine failure. 

When the announcement of his return happened, Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul made it clear that Alonso will not be freed from his duties towards the F1 team to participate in the Indy 500. But now Alonso is dropping hints that he may still make an attempt after his stint with Renault is over. 

Largely what Alonso is saying is that he doesn't know what his future holds. "Nor can I say one hundred per cent that I will return," he said. He crystallised the fact that he feels privileged to have raced in all of these different disciplines, even though he didn't win mostly. He feels that he will feel grateful about these races when he is 70-80 years old. 

Alonso has won two world championships with Renault in the mid 2000s | Photo Credit: AFP

Alonso also said that his return to F1 was fast-tracked by a desire to become a world champion again and also the pandemic. He originally only wanted to come back in 2022 when the regulations are scheduled to change which could change the dynamic of the grid and perhaps elevate Renault above Mercedes. Though this changed because F1 provided him with the financial security during the pandemic, something which no other racing discipline could provide him. 

"In the end I decided that the best thing was to be inside to prepare as best as possible for 2022 and not spend so much time outside and also, to be totally honest, the other categories did not give me the security that F1 could have with the pandemic. The WEC is a bit weakened by the sponsors, cancelled races ... And other categories will suffer more, as always the categories with fewer resources, the weakest, suffer more," he added.