Fernando Alonso will miss the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix to compete in the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500.
McLaren will enter a single car in the famous race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, powered by Honda and run by the Andretti Autosport team.
It will be Alonso’s first Indy 500, but the race takes place on the same weekend as the Monaco Grand Prix.
McLaren has confirmed it will be Alonso’s only IndyCar race this year, and will announce who will take his F1 seat for Monaco in due course; the team still has Jenson Button, who bowed out of the sport last season, under contract as an ambassador.
Andretti claimed victory at last year's Indy 500 with rookie Alexander Rossi, following the American's brief stint in F1 with Manor Marussia.
“I’m immensely excited that I’ll be racing in this year’s Indy 500, with McLaren, Honda and Andretti Autosport,” Alonso said.
“The Indy 500 is one of the most famous races on the global motorsport calendar, rivalled only by the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Monaco Grand Prix, and it’s of course a regret of mine that I won’t be able to race at Monaco this year.
“I’ve never raced an IndyCar car before, and neither have I ever driven on a super-speedway, but I’m confident that I’ll get to grips with it fast.
“I realise I’ll be on a steep learning curve, but I’ll be flying to Indianapolis from Barcelona immediately after the Spanish Grand Prix, practising our McLaren-Honda-Andretti car at Indy from May 15th onwards.
“I’ve won the Monaco Grand Prix twice, and it’s one of my ambitions to win the Triple Crown [the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 and the Le Mans 24 Hours], which has been achieved by only one driver in the history of motorsport: Graham Hill.
“It’s a tough challenge, but I’m up for it. I don’t know when I’m going to race at Le Mans, but one day I intend to. I’m only 35: I’ve got plenty of time for that.”
Alonso will be Andretti's sixth entry at this year's Indianapolis 500, with the team also fielding Ryan Hunter-Reay, Takuma Sato, Marco Andretti, Rossi, and Jack Harvey.
