Alonso admits Indy 500 now 'high priority' after Le Mans win

Fresh from his victory with Toyota in the Le Mans 24 Hours race, Fernando Alonso admits that his new high priority is winning the Indianapolis 500.

Having already won the Monaco Grand Prix, clinching the Indy 500 mile event would see him achieve motor racing's Triple Crown. He would be only the second driver in history to accomplish this, after Graham Hill pulled it off in 1972.

It could prove the deciding factor when it comes to Alonso's plans for 2019 and whether he will stay in Formula 1.

"Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans still feels like a dream and it was an incredible week," Alonso said. " It’s finally sinking in now."

"I will make my mind up after the summer what I will do next year but after winning Le Mans, Indy comes into play with a high priority," he told The Guardian newspaper.

"Let's see if it is next year or the following year," he said. "Let's see what the future of F1 will be."

Alonso skipped the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix to race at Indianapolis. An engine blow-out 20 laps from the finish meant he went home empty handed on that occasion.

“I went there last year without any particular objective. We were leading the race, we were close to victory, but we missed the opportunity.

“The Indy 500 is part of the Triple Crown and it’s really a very important goal. It’s attractive trying to conquer it, and to see if you can be an even better and more complete driver."

It's certainly currently more appealing that Formula 1. The McLaren team is undergoing another difficult season, despite having moved away from former engine suppliers Honda after three fruitless seasons.

• Alonso hails 'an amazing result' at Le Mans

However Alonso was sounding happy with the prospect of getting back to his 'day job next weekend: "I’m already looking forward to getting back in my car and going racing again.

“It’s not often we get to drive on new tracks, or tracks that are new for most of us but already have a strong legacy behind them, so after my Le Mans experience it’s great to be staying in France and heading to Paul Ricard."

McLaren's new partnership with Renault this year has seen an improvement, but Alonso still seems far away from competing for race wins let alone titles. His last outing in Montreal ended in yet another retirement.

But it's not just a straight choice between F1 and the Indy 500. Alonso is also committed to the FIA World Endurance Championship, of which Le Mans is just a single round.

The two-time world champion stressed that just because he had won the race on Sunday, it didn't mean he was going to walk away and leave his Toyota team mates Kazuki Nakajima in the lurch when it came to their year-long title campaign.

"I am also attempting to win the World Endurance Championship not only Le Mans," he pointed out. "[As I] am already a world champion in F1, it could be a super-triple crown!"

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