McLaren chief Zak Brown has emphasised that Fernando Alonso’s World Endurance Championship programme with Toyota will not impact on its Formula 1 prospects.
Alonso has repeatedly outlined his desire to compete for motorsport’s Triple Crown, and made his debut at the Indianapolis 500 in 2017, missing the Monaco Grand Prix in the process.
It was confirmed on Tuesday that Alonso will link up with Toyota for this season's WEC championship, including Le Mans, though will skip Fuji, due to its clash with the United States Grand Prix.
Brown hinted that Alonso’s WEC deal has been completed to keep him “motivated and happy”, and has insisted that McLaren and Formula 1 will not be negatively impacted by the Spaniard’s sportscar exploits.
“It’s no secret that Fernando has wanted to contest the Le Mans 24 Hours,” said Brown.
“And I think everybody within our organisation appreciates that a motivated, hungry and happy world-class driver such as Fernando is a formidable asset for any team in F1.
“Last year, we came to the joint decision to go racing with Fernando at the Indy 500 rather than at the Monaco Grand Prix.
“But we’ve always said that we would consider each opportunity on a case-by-case basis, and we both know that, in 2018, our core priority is success in Formula 1.
“Like Fernando, at McLaren we’re racers at heart, and our team is built on a brave heritage of competing and succeeding in different forms of the sport.
“Equally important is the confidence that nothing detracts from our number one goal of Formula 1.
“After proper evaluation, we are satisfied that this campaign does not do that, and that McLaren’s best interests prevail.”
Alonso’s WEC debut will come at May’s 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the week before the Spanish Grand Prix.
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