IndyCar, NASCAR? Fernando Alonso's Next Step After Announcing Retirement

Fernando Alonso announced his retirement from Formula 1 on August 14 and will quit McLaren at the end of the current campaign, but there’s no way that the Spaniard is hanging up his helmet for good with other forms of motorsport currently on his radar.

The 37-year-old is currently participating in his 17th F1 season and is still considered one of the best drivers on the grid, despite not having won a race since 2013. Alonso won both his F1 Drivers’ titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006 and came close on a couple of occasions during his stint with Ferrari between 2010 and 2014.

The final few years of Alonso’s F1 career have been a struggle with his McLaren team unable to produce a car that was capable of challenging the top teams on the grid. Alonso admitted that he is keen for a fresh challenge after 17 years in F1.

"After 17 wonderful years in this amazing sport it's time for me to make a change and move on," Alonso said. "I made this decision some months ago and it was a firm one. There are still several grands prix to go this season, and I will take part in them with more commitment and passion than ever."

"Let's see what the future brings; new exciting challenges are around the corner. I'm having one of the happiest times ever in my life but I need to go on exploring new adventures," he added.

In 2018, along with his F1 commitments, he is also driving in the World Endurance Championships and won the LeMans 24-hour race in his first attempt earlier this year. He is also keen on adding the WEC title to his kitty and is leading the championship with six races to go this season.

The LeMans win was step number two as Alonso continues to chase motorsports fabled Triple Crown, which entails winning the Monaco Grand Prix, the LeMans 24-hours and the Indy500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The Spaniard tried his hand at the Indy500 in 2017, but after leading a few laps, he retired in the latter stages of the race due to a faulty car. He is certain to give it another go after making it clear that achieving the Triple Crown is a must before he calls time on his racing career.

Michael Andretti, owner of Andretti Racing, has urged him to make a switch to the American racing series and drive a full season as that will give him the best chance of winning the famed race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Alonso’s retirement also prompted a tweet from the Indy500 race’s official Twitter account about his goal of claiming the Triple Crown.

The IndyCar Series is not the only American racing series that is trying to lure Alonso, with NASCAR also replying to the Spaniard’s retirement video with a formal invitation to drive at Daytona 500, which is part of the NASCAR Cup Series.

“A new challenge awaits. We hope you'll accept with pleasure,” it tweeted.

It is certain that Alonso’s racing days are far from over, but it remains to be seen if he will drive a full season at IndyCar or prefer to focus his attention on just Indy500 in 2019.