McLaren has confirmed that Fernando Alonso will participate in this season's World Endurance Championship with Toyota, including the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Alonso has outlined his ambitions to compete for motorsport's Triple Crown and participated in last year's Indianapolis 500, running competitively before retiring due to an engine failure.
Alonso will remain in Formula 1 with McLaren this year but it was confirmed on Tuesday that the Spaniard will contest the upcoming WEC rounds with Toyota, which includes the iconic 24-hour race at Le Mans.
Alonso's WEC debut will come at May's 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, and he will also compete at Silverstone and Shanghai, missing the Fuji round due to its clash with the United States Grand Prix.
Alonso will join Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima in the No. 8 car.
Toyota outlined that Alonso will "compete in all rounds of the 2018-19 season which do not conflict with his existing Formula 1 obligations", with three rounds, at Sebring, Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans, scheduled for 2019 as part of the WEC's Super Season.
"I’ve never been shy about my aim of winning motorsport’s ‘Triple Crown’ – the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indy 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans," he said. "We tried for Indy last year, came close, but just missed out.
“This year, I have the chance thanks to McLaren to race for the win at Le Mans. It is a big challenge – much can go wrong – but I am ready, prepared and looking forward to the fight.
“My deal to race in WEC was only made possible through the good understanding and strong relationship I have with McLaren, and I’m very happy that they listened and understood what this means to me.
“In no way will this challenge take away from my main target of Formula 1 with McLaren. In 2018, my aim is to be competitive at every Grand Prix, and I feel sure that we are closer to achieving that."
The announcement comes a few days after Alonso made his sportscar debut at the Daytona 24 Hours, with his prospects stymied by mechanical issues.
Discussion about this post