Fernando Alonso not ruling out full-time switch to IndyCar racing
Two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso says he is open to contesting a full IndyCar Series campaign in the future after his Indianapolis 500 experience
Alonso led 27 laps on his oval racing debut with Andretti Autosport last month and was running seventh when his Honda engine failed in the closing stages.
He appeared on NBC's television broadcast of Saturday night's Texas IndyCar race via a video link from Montreal, where he is back in F1 with McLaren for the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend.
Asked by the hosts if he might consider a full-time switch to IndyCar after F1, Alonso replied: "why not?"
He emphasised that his priority beyond F1 at present remained securing a 'triple crown' by winning Indy and the Le Mans 24 Hours to go with his Monaco GP and F1 title successes.
"I'm more ready to do F1, trying to find the best car possible out there," said Alonso.
"I would look at different options.
"Indy 500 would be the first priority for the triple crown, but a full season another time, why not?"
Alonso appeared to enjoy the spectacle of the Texas Motor Speedway race, which featured extremely close side-by-side racing from the start.
"Watching now the race, these guys, they are the best guys," he said.
"I have to learn many things to do one race, I need to learn so many more to do the whole season."
On Thursday Alonso intimated that winning grands prix by September was the only way McLaren-Honda could convince him to stay for 2018.
He underlined that his future beyond this season was currently wide open.
"I'm very open to anything," said Alonso.
"I don't have a clear answer right now. "I would be lying if I told you I know what would happen next year."
Toto Wolff could see Nico Rosberg racing for Ferrari in Formula 1
Ralf Schumacher and Fernando Alonso row over karting circuit
Bathurst 12 Hour: Van Gisbergen Mercedes leads after first quarter
Shane van Gisbergen’s Triple Eight Mercedes headed Matt Campbell’s Manthey Porsche after three hours of racing at Mount Panorama in the Bathurst 12 Hour.
Tanak scores first Puma win in preparation for WRC Rally Sweden
Ott Tanak claimed his first victory driving an M-Sport Ford Puma after winning the Otepaa Winter Rally in preparation for next week’s World Rally Championship round in Sweden.
Ranking the worst Formula 1 cars to win a grand prix
Cars that rarely looked like contenders for victory have occasionally slipped through the net to become winners of world championship Formula 1 races. But which was the worst of the bunch?
Schumacher radio criticism highlighted F1 privacy change for Russell
George Russell says that the way an off-the-cuff radio remark criticising Mick Schumacher last year became a big deal shows how he is more under the spotlight in Formula 1.
How Tyrrell became a racing Rubik’s cube as it faded out of F1
Formula 1’s transformation into a global sport meant the gradual extinction for a small team determined to stay true to its low-budget roots. But Tyrrell would eventually be reborn as a world-beating outfit again, explains MAURICE HAMILTON, albeit in different colours…
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.