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THE eyes of the world of motorsport were firmly fixed on the kingdom this week when two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso, who has targeted a Le Mans 24 Hours win as part of his quest to complete the ‘Triple Crown’ of motorsport: Monaco F1, Indy 500 and Le Mans, got his first LMP1 testing mileage under his belt.
The FIA World Endurance Championship’s rookie test got underway at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) on Sunday and the Spaniard was only confirmed by Toyota to take part late on Saturday, despite weeks of rumours.
Alonso called the test with Toyota as ‘a great day’. “I think a test in an LMP1 is always a nice thing for any racing driver; these cars are amazing to drive and are very consistent in the stints,” he added.
He refused to be drawn on the likelihood of him joining Toyota for Le Mans next year. “One day it would be nice to race in endurance,” he said. “I don’t know when, but endurance for sure is one of the goals for me in the future after F1.”
He started by sharing the #8 TS050 Hybrid with team regular and former F1 driver and Bahrain resident Sebastien Buemi, who took the car out for its opening run.
Alonso took over around 40 minutes into the two-hour morning session, largely lapping in the 1m44s and 1m45s before setting a best time of 1m43.709s in his penultimate run, completing a total of 37 laps.
That put him around 1.6 seconds down on the benchmark established by Buemi, 1m42.183s, who ironically has made it known that he would love a return to F1 if he could secure a competitive drive.
Alonso made a seven-tenth improvement during the second half of his maiden test in the Toyota LMP1 car, logging 113 laps over the day, and was described by the BIC as ‘ the busiest man of the day’.
The McLaren Formula 1 driver worked alongside Toyota regular Mike Conway and posted a best time of 1m43.013s during the three-hour afternoon period.
Toyota Motorsport GmbH technical director Pascal Vasselon stressed that Alonso did not go for a quick time at any point.
“We did not do any low-fuel run and we did not do any qualifying runs — there was no trophy today to win,” he said.
“We’ve done a bit more work with Fernando. After getting more familiar with the car in the afternoon he did some tyre testing, complementing what Mike has been doing in the other car.”
Vasselon refused to comment on the chances of Alonso rejoining Toyota for its next scheduled test at Aragon at the start of next month. “At the moment it was just a fantastic opportunity,” he said. “We have time now to think about the future.”
Alonso confirmed prior to the United States Grand Prix last month that he will remain a McLaren Honda driver for the 2018 season, ending months of speculation regarding his future in the sport.
There were concerns that he may leave Formula One at the end of the season when his contract finished after failing to finish six of the first 10 races. He also failed to start at the Russian Grand Prix in April to complete a dismal start to the race calendar.
It has been a tumultuous year for the team with their divorce from engine supplier Honda being confirmed in September, and the UK-based team, partly-owned by Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat, will be powered by Renault next year as they look to challenge the teams ahead of them.
Alonso said: “McLaren is one of the best teams. And yes, we’ve struggled the last three years, but the team has made all the necessary changes, so 2018 should be much better. I believe in the project – that is why I think next year should be a good season for us.”
The F1 season concludes on Sunday in Abu Dhabi.
l Six new champions were crowned Saturday night as the chequered flag came down on the Bapco 6 Hours of Bahrain to end the 2017 season of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
Three of the WEC’s nine titles were already decided heading into this year’s Grand Finale at Sakhir.
Porsche LMP Team won the FIA World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship while their trio of Timo Bernhard, Earl Bamber and Brendon Hartley claimed the FIA World Endurance Drivers’ Championship. Ferrari had also already taken the GT FIA World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship.
Amongst the crowns won at the BIC were the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Teams claimed by Vaillante Rebellion, the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Drivers won by the duo of Bruno Senna and Julien Canal, the GT FIA World Endurance Drivers’ Championship won by Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado, the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGTE Pro Teams won by AF Corse, the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGTE Am Teams clinched by Aston Martin Racing; and the FIA Endurance Trophy for GT Am Drivers Mathias Lauda, Paul Dalla Lana and Pedro Lamy.
