Let the speculation begin ... or continue.
With two-thirds of racing's triple crown checked after a 24 Hours of Le Mans triumph in June, the last jewel left on Fernando Alonso's list is an Indianapolis 500 victory.
That has many fans and experts convinced Alonso and his McLaren Formula One team will announce plans to enter the 2019 Indianapolis 500, while some believe the Le Mans win means the two-time F1 world champion will jump ship completely to run a full Verizon IndyCar Series season next year.
Although he's staying tight-lipped for now, the 36-year-old promised fans wouldn't have to wait too long to learn whether he'll be in Indianapolis when May 2019 rolls around.
“I will make my mind up after the summer what I will do next year, but after winning Le Mans, Indy comes into play with a high priority,” said Alonso, who ticked his first triple crown box in 2005 with a Monaco Grand Prix victory.
“The triple crown is an attractive target because it is so difficult to achieve. These are the three biggest races in the world of motorsport: the Indy 500, Monaco and Le Mans.”
Adding credence to the speculation is the fact that Alonso said in March that he considered a full-time switch to INDYCAR, but stuck with McLaren because he felt “it was not the time for me to step out.”
The only driver to complete the triple crown was the late Graham Hill, who won the 1966 Indianapolis 500, scored an overall victory at Le Mans in 1972 and took the checkered flag at the Monaco Grand Prix five times. Like Alonso, Hill was a two-time F1 world champion.
Interestingly, the worst thing that could likely happen for Indy 500 fans is McLaren’s return to competitiveness in F1, which might keep Alonso interested in staying. McLaren has been mired in a slump for six seasons, with its last victory in the 2012 season finale. The team hasn't enjoyed a podium finish since the 2014 season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
If he decided to return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway only, it will be the second appearance for Alonso in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
The Spanish driver skipped the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix to try his hand at the famed Brickyard and acquitted himself well until a blown engine ended his run with 21 laps to go. After starting fifth, spending most of the race in the top 10 and leading four times for a total of 27 laps before finishing 24th, Alonso went home smiling and vowing that the race hadn't seen the last of him.
“I need to keep pursuing this challenge because winning the Indy 500 is not completed,” he said at the time. “Obviously, if I come back here, at least I know how everything is. It will not be the first time I do restarts, pit stops, all these kind of things, so it will be an easier, let's say, adaptation.”
Talk of a full-time Verizon IndyCar Series ride for Alonso 2019 was fueled last month when Andretti Autosport owner Michael Andretti made a quick trip to Montreal on Canadian Grand Prix weekend as a guest of McLaren. He was seen having discussions with the McLaren chief executive officer Zak Brown.
The Montreal meetings followed by a week Brown’s trip to a Verizon IndyCar Series event – the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear – where he reportedly met with several INDYCAR teams about a potential alignment and indicated that a 2019 McLaren entry in the series was “looking favorable.”
Brown also said previously that Alonso would welcome a return to the Verizon IndyCar Series paddock.
“It was a very positive experience for him,” Brown said. “It's a great environment, and there's stuff that all these sports can learn from each other. Certainly, the INDYCAR paddock is a more fun one, which was what Fernando commented on. He loved it.”
Most fans would be just as happy to return the love if Alonso comes back to Indy next year.