Two-time Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso is no longer an ambassador for the McLaren organisation.
Alonso competed in Formula 1 for McLaren, as reigning champion, in 2007, before making a return to the squad in 2015, as it began a relationship with engine supplier Honda.
But McLaren-Honda’s troubles restricted Alonso’s on-track results in Formula 1, and his focus began shifting towards winning motorsport’s Triple Crown, which encompasses the Monaco Grand Prix, Indianapolis 500 and Le Mans 24 Hours.
Alonso competed for McLaren – in association with Andretti and Honda – at the 2017 Indianapolis 500, and joined Toyota for the World Endurance Championship in 2018, winning the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Alonso continued to race for McLaren in Formula 1 in 2018, after Honda was ditched as engine partner in favour of Renault, before stepping back from a seat at the end of the campaign.
Alonso nonetheless remained affiliated with the squad in 2019 as an ambassador, testing the MCL34 in Bahrain last April, and also attended several grands prix.
But his direct involvement was gradually phased out, with new boss Andreas Seidl affirming his commitment to racers Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris, while ex-Williams driver Sergey Sirotkin was recruited as reserve, a role he also held at Renault.
Alonso nonetheless returned to Indianapolis, donning McLaren’s colours, but a sequence of incidents and setbacks resulted in Alonso missing the cut to make the 33-car grid for the race.
McLaren confirmed to MotorsportWeek.com on Monday that Alonso’s ambassadorial role with the organisation expired at the end of last year, with nothing yet confirmed for 2020.
Alonso, who recently finished 13th with Toyota at his first attempt of the gruelling Saudi Arabia-based Dakar Rally, is poised to return to Indianapolis this May for his third crack at the event.
McLaren’s revived IndyCar team will field Patricio O’Ward and Oliver Askew through the 2020 campaign, which begins in St. Petersburg in March, while Alonso has been linked to a berth at the Honda-powered Andretti squad for the Indianapolis 500.
Discussion about this post