LONDON, England – Two-times World champion Fernando Alonso, 37, will retire from Formula 1 at the end of the 2018 season, his team McLaren has announced. He’s ninth in the 2018 F1 championship.
2018 is the Spaniard’s 17th F1 season, his fifth with McLaren, and he might race in the 2019 Indianapolis 500 in a hunt for the ‘Triple Crown of Motorsport’.
Records show he’s won the Monaco GP twice and the Le Mans 24 Hours on his debut with Toyota in June 2018. He told Reuters: “It’s time for me to make a change and move on. There are still several grands prix to go this season and I will take part with more commitment and passion than ever.”
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McLaren worked with Andretti Autosport to field a car for Alonso for the 2017 Indy 500 which he led for 27 laps before his engine failed. McLaren has been exploring working again with Andretti to field an IndyCar team for 2019 or might put together its own team.
Alonso thanked F1’s chief executive Chase Carey and the sport’s owner Liberty Media Corp for trying to get him to change his mind and leaving a door open for a possible return. He added, according to Reuters: “McLaren will come back stronger and better in the future and it could be the right moment for me to be back in the series. That would make me really happy.
“I made this decision some months ago and it was a firm one. Nevertheless, I would like to sincerely thank Chase Carey and Liberty Media for the efforts made to change my mind.”
Carman's Corner 