The rumour that took the motorsports world by storm this morning has taken a new life on Thursday afternoon, with mixed signals regarding a fall IndyCar test for Fernando Alonso.
Ever since his Rookie of the Year performance in the 2017 Indianapolis 500, there has been much talk of a full-time future in the Verizon IndyCar Series for the Spaniard due to his success and apparent enjoyment of the experience.
When asked of his plans regarding an IndyCar test during a planned media session on Thursday afternoon, Alonso was rather coy and instead stressed the tightness of his current schedule.
“I have 13 or 14 races to do, not only the one,” he said. “I think it’s going to be difficult to fit any more in the calendar. I definitely plan to do one more race in go karts, or two, and some endurance races. Any more than that is difficult to fit.”
Earlier, Alonso's team boss Zak Brown told media that an IndyCar test is currently being worked on and being scheduled into the McLaren driver’s busy fall.
But he dismissed the notion that Alonso may test at the newly reintroduced Grand Prix of Portland, citing a conflicting FIA WEC race at Silverstone in the F1 summer break. Instead, Brown suggested a test was being considered towards the end of the IndyCar season.
“But he may test later this fall,” Brown told RACER.com. “His calendar is pretty hectic so we’re trying to find a gap. He would be mega in IndyCar and I think he would love IndyCar racing. And I think IndyCar would love him as well.”
Having previously run with Andretti Autosport in the Indianapolis 500 in a partnership with McLaren, all signs point to Andretti being the testing team in question. However, team boss Michael Andretti has previously maintained that time is wearing thin to organize a new entry for 2019.
With Alonso’s future racing plans uncertain, IndyCar continues to be a major point of discussion regarding the two-time Formula 1 World Champion’s 2019 season. As Honda motorsports general manager Masashi Yamamoto fuelled the rumours in June, these new developments keep the racing world on the edge of its seat for a final decision.
