Toyota Requests WEC Fuji Round Date Change To Accommodate Fernando Alonso

By Sameer Contractor

1 mins read

Published on February 3, 2018

Highlights

Alonso will be participating in all rounds of the 2018/19 WEC
Alonso previously said that F1 will remain top priority this year
Fernando Alonso wants to win motorsport's 'Triple Crown'

We recently told you that Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso has been signed on to drive in the 2018/19 World Endurance Championship this season. While the move is a big one, Toyota, the team that Alonso has signed up with, wants to ensure the driver's F1 commitments are not disturbed. Motorsport reports that Toyota has requested to change the date for the Fuji round of the WEC this year. The team wants to change the date from October 21 to October 14, so it doesn't clash with the United Start Grand Prix. This will ensure Alonso honours both his commitments for all the WEC rounds in 2018 and driving for F1 with McLaren. That's a big decision to accommodate one driver frankly and this will mean a major rescheduling for the WEC organisers. The October 14 date though isn't free from F1 either and clashes with the F1 Mexican Grand Prix weekend, apart from the finales of the Super Formula championship at the Suzuka circuit in Japan. The World Endurance Championship had originally changed the date of the Fuji round in September last year when the revised calendar for 2018 was first announced. The date change then was in order avoid a clash with the Petit Le Mans round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. A date change back to October 14 will be a problem for the full-time WEC drivers that had planned to participate in the Road Atlanta race. With all parties refusing to comment on the matter, a final decision on the matter is yet to be announced. That said, the decision, if approved, might seem a little unfair to the full-time drivers at the WEC. Alonso has maintained that he wants to win motorsport's 'Triple Crown' - the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indy 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He tried out for Indy 500 last year and even led the race briefly before the Honda engine seized on his car. Meanwhile, the world champion has already sealed a win at Monaco. This season should be interesting for Alonso as we will be watching him perform across two distinct motorsport events.