Autosport Plus

How Alonso really got on at Le Mans

Fernando Alonso brought Le Mans a lot more attention, but how much of a role did he play in Toyota's triumph, and how will history remember his win given the lack of opposition? The answers might be surprising

Despite what a few naysayers may think, Fernando Alonso's appearance at the Le Mans 24 Hours was a huge positive for the race. And so was his victory.

Yes, he stole most of the headlines, but there were more of those headlines because the double Formula 1 world champion was in the classic French enduro. In short, he brought Le Mans and sportscar racing to a wider audience. Traffic on Autosport.com's Le Mans coverage was up 103% compared to 2017 - even though the Toyota versus Porsche LMP1 rivalry had been replaced by the near-certainty of a Toyota walkover.

Share Or Save This Story

Author Kevin Turner

Kevin Turner is Autosport’s Chief Editor. While studying History at the University of York, Kevin began covering UK club events as a freelance reporter for Autosport and Motorsport News. He joined the Autosport staff as Editorial Assistant on the magazine in 2006, winning what is now known as the Motorsport UK Young Journalist of the Year Award. He became National Editor in 2008 and over the next few seasons covered a range of international events, including the Le Mans 24 Hours, as well as the British Touring Car Championship and British GT. Kevin became Features Editor before switching to edit Motorsport News in 2014.

He returned to Autosport in 2016 to become editor of the magazine, a dream job that is still part of his role.

He became Chief Editor in 2020, helping to plan content for autosport.com and Autosport’s podcast as well as seeing the magazine through the coronavirus pandemic. Kevin also led work on the special publication celebrating 70 years of Autosport and has been a judge on the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award, formerly known as the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, since 2008. He lives in Warboys with his wife and two children.