Tuesday 30th January 2018

Fernando Alonso joins Gazoo Racing for LM24

Double World Champions turns his hand to endurance racing

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It's been a ripe old time for Toyota Gazoo Racing recently. We've has the release of the Yaris GRMN, its Racing Trophy, the GR Super Sport Concept - and now its driver line-up announcement for the 2018 WEC season, which is also what you might call "high profile".

Using the TS050 Hybrid LMP1 race cars from 2017, Toyota is again targeting the top step at Le Mans this year after having just missed out in 1992, 1994, 1999, 2013 and 2016. There's only one change in the two-car team lineup - but it's a biggie, with double F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso getting a seat alongside Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima, and Anthony Davidson taking the reserve and development driver job.

It's another new step for Alonso, who recently undertook his first stint in endurance racing at the 24 hours of Daytona, unfortunately, retiring through the night in 38th place. His race debut in WEC will come at Spa in May when competing in rounds that don't conflict with the F1 calendar.

Alonso said, "Endurance racing is a different discipline compared to single-seaters and I enjoyed my first taste of it at Daytona.[...] It will be a steep learning curve for me but I am ready for this challenge and I can't wait to get started."

With the Monaco Grand Prix already in the bag, Alonso is plainly still deadly serious about becoming only the second driver to have won motorsport's so-called Triple Crown alongside Graham Hill. If all goes well with Toyota at Le Mans, only the Indy 500 will stand in his way.

[Le Mans image: LAT Photo]

[Oldwolf]

Pleased to see Alonso there but it's a shame Toyota have bumped Anthony after all that he's given the team over the years.

[Yipper]

This is more about Alonso desperately trying to salvage some career pride rather than picking up the Triple Crown.

[andymac]

Where is the competition this year though. Good move by Alonso as he will only be racing the sister cars as Audi and Porsche have already pulled out.

[Europa1]

Thread already running: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[peterz3]

funny thing seeing his name some years ago I had a tack shop(near Silverstone) and a lady customer asked me if I could drop some thing off at her yard on my way home, I new her husband was some thing to do with F1, any way when I arrived at her yard there was a chap there who she introduced as allonso which just went straight over my head we got chatting about horses and I left not till later did it dawn on me who he was😩I wonder if he remembers me
peterz3

[Krikkit]

Oldwolf said:

Pleased to see Alonso there but it's a shame Toyota have bumped Anthony after all that he's given the team over the years.

Agree 100% - AD has been a great ambassador for the team, and (imho) one of the best endurance drivers of the last few years not to win LM.

[MG CHRIS]

andymac said:

Where is the competition this year though. Good move by Alonso as he will only be racing the sister cars as Audi and Porsche have already pulled out.

This year will see the most lmp1 cars for a hood while kolles, rebellion, ginetta, manor, br1 and maybe a few others . Ginetta have stated building 10 lmp1 cars that's including spare tubs so expect around 5/6 ginetta designed cars with manor being the one team.

Lmp1 isn't dead quiet yet.

[BVB]

Surely the most talented driver of his generation.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

BVB said:

Surely the most talented driver of his generation.

Not in my opinion.