Fernando Alonso is set to depart Formula 1 to pursue his dream of attaining motorsports ‘triple-crown’ as he is expected to make a permanent switch to the Indy Car series.
One of the greats
The 37-year-old Spaniard is highly thought of on the grid and is considered as ‘one of the greats’ amongst the paddock. He won consecutive championships in 2005 and 2006 during his time at Renault and has raced for some of the sport’s most prestigious teams including the likes of McLaren and Ferrari.
“After 17 wonderful years in this amazing sport it’s time for me to make a change and move on”, he said.
The Spaniard will be hoping to embark on a new journey after his undoubted success in Formula 1 and having also won the Le Mans 24 Hours race at the first time of asking, the hat-trick is in sight with the Indy Car Series next to cross off the list.
Alonso’s successor has not yet been confirmed by McLaren, but the Spaniard will still complete the current F1 season.
Recent struggles
Since leaving Renault after clinching his second World Championship, Alonso’s career has been somewhat turbulent with many highs and just as many lows, especially in recent times.
The success of the Formula 1 legend is in no doubt, however, there are multiple near misses as the Spaniard fell short on three occasions in his battle for the Championship. Most notably in 2007 where the McLaren driver lost out by a single point; the following season his bad luck continued falling short by a narrow margin of just four points.
In recent times Alonso opted to move to McLaren-Honda with high-hopes that he could once again challenge at the top. However, aspirations of success never materialised, and the multiple World Champion has found himself trapped in a mid-table battle ever since his move.
This term has been somewhat of a mixed bag for Alonso scoring 44 points for McLaren, but the drive for success in Formula 1 seems to have petered out with the focus clearly elsewhere as he looks to embark on a new chapter in his so far staggering career in motorsport.