Alonso Maintains WEC Championship Lead, Montoya Recommends Full-Time IndyCar Switch

Fernando Alonso and the No. 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing car could not convert their pole position into a win and had to settle for second place in the six hours of Fuji World Endurance Championship race Sunday.

Toyota’s dominance of the 2018-19 season continued as it was their second No. 7 car that took victory despite starting in eighth place after their pole position lap was deleted due to Jose Maria Lopez speeding in the pit lane after completing the lap.

The No. 7 car piloted by F1 racer Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Lopez did let the eighth place start bother them with the Japanese driver quickly making his way through the field at the start of the race. Kobayashi took just two laps to move from eighth to second just behind the No.8 car.

A safety car period during the race allowed the No.7 car to take the lead from Alonso’s Toyota car and there was no looking back after that with the former taking an 11-second victory over the No. 8 car.

Despite their loss, Alonso and teammates Sebastian Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima maintain their championship lead, but the No.7 car drivers have closed the gap down to 13 points. The Spaniard made it clear earlier this month winning the WEC title is one of his top priorities this season.

Toyota, however, continued their dominance over the rest of the field with a 1-2 finish with third place car — the No.1 Rebellion R-13 — coming in four laps down. The Japanese manufacturer are now 14 points ahead in the Constructors’ championship.

Alonso’s focus will now shift back to his commitments with McLaren in Formula 1 with the United States Grand Prix coming up Sunday. The double F1 world champion confirmed he will leave at the end of the 2018 season as he seeks a new challenge in another form of motor racing.

The 37-year-old is yet to reveal his plans for the future but made it clear he is keen to challenge for race wins and world championships in order to ensure he goes down as one of the best racing drivers in motorsport history.

The American IndyCar Series is a major draw for Alonso as he is keen to win the famed Indy500 race in order to become the second driver to complete the fabled Triple Crown after having won the Monaco Grand Prix and the LeMans 24-hour race.

The Spaniard has already attempted the Indy500 race once in 2017 and after fighting for the lead for most of the race retired with a mechanical failure. Andretti Autosport owner Mario Andretti is keen to see Alonso in the American motor racing series, but the logistics is proving to be difficult.

McLaren are keen to enter IndyCar, but continue to remain non-committal at the moment, but former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes Alonso will have to drive a full season in IndyCar to have the best chance of winning the Indy500 race.

"The best way to win the Indy 500 is, I think, by driving a full season in America,” Montoya said, as quoted on GP Blog.

"He is probably trying to give himself the greatest possible chance of winning Indy, by driving some ovals, so he'll be better prepared for Indy, I think he's been in the F1 long enough and he wants to try something else,” the Colombian added.