Fernando Alonso to debut at Le Mans and in WEC

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After having followed it for all of last season, this year Fernando Alonso will reach his objective of participating in the 24 hours of Le Mans at the wheel of the Toyota TS050 Hybrid. For the World Champion this will be a season full of commitments since together with the 21 grands prix with McLaren-Renault there will not only also be the marathon at Sarthe, but he will also take part in the 18/19 WEC Super Season, always at the wheel of the Japanese car number 8, together with Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastien Buemi.

This will be another debut for Nando after his positive participation in the Indianapolis 500 which ended with his retirement due to a broken motor, which was possible thanks to the blessing from the team of Woking. Coming back from the disappointing Daytona 24 hour event at the wheel of the Ligier LMP2 of the United Autosports tea, Alonso will sign on to make his debut in the World Endurance Championship at the wheel of the LMP1 in the 6 hour event at Spa-Francorchamps (May 5th and 6th) which will be run before Le Mans (June 16th and 17th) and will then only miss the 6 hour event at Fuji due to the overlap with the US Formula 1 Grand Prix which will have the priority.

“I wish Nando all the best of luck as he will be called to make a noteworthy commitment. He will find himself in situation that will not be easy, having to pass from one category to another and, above all, between cars that are different greatly from each other, The endurance races (6 hours or 24 hours) require a very different preparation compared to an F1 GP,” commented Gian Carlo Minardi.

“I do not condemn, nor do I support this choice, but I see a lot of discontinuity on this programme. After having taken part in Daytona with a Ligier LMP2 he will front up to Le Mans and the WEC with a Toyota TS050 Hybrid, while last year he ran the Indianapolis 500. Nando is giving a strong demonstration of the strength of his commitment to racing by seeking new challenges and this can only be good for the sport since it generates interest, but I find it excessive” concluded the manager from Faenza.