Fernando Alonso is to get his first taste of McLaren’s 2019 Formula 1 car during in-season testing in Bahrain next week.
Alonso stepped back from a race seat at the end of 2018 in order to pursue motorsport’s Triple Crown, having last year added the Le Mans 24 Hours to his two Monaco Grand Prix wins.
Alonso was confirmed as a McLaren ambassador earlier this year, having retained his affiliation to enter the Indianapolis 500, and the team confirmed that there were plans for the Spaniard to get behind the wheel of the MCL34.
Rather than sacrificing any track time for regulars Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris, Alonso will be driving the second Pirelli-run MCL34 that the team has available.
McLaren, along with Toro Rosso, will be fielding a second car for the purpose of assisting Pirelli with its tyre development programme.
Alonso will drive the Pirelli-run MCL34 on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon at the Sakhir International Circuit, with Sainz Jr. to drive that car on Wednesday morning.
Sainz Jr. will pilot the McLaren-run MCL34 on Tuesday morning, with Norris completing the programme for the remainder of the test.
As Norris still qualifies as a young driver – due to starting two or fewer Grands Prix – McLaren will only have to field a different young driver for half a day of the next in-season test in Spain.
