By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
The international motorsport database nearly crashed when Fernando Alonso last week announced his leave from Formula 1 at the conclusion of the 2018 season.
What’s on the table for the two-time World Champion in 2019 is still up for debate, however, many have pointed the Spaniard toward the Verizon IndyCar Series for his first full-time campaign.
And it’s no shot in the dark either. McLaren, Alonso’s F1 team since 2015, has experience in the Indianapolis 500 with Alonso and is working on a plan to enter IndyCar full time in 2019. Additionally, Alonso will test with Andretti Autosport next month, likely at Barber Motorsports Park.
So, the possibility of seeing the 37-year-old come to the sport in 2019 could sound real for the IndyCar paddock. As for the drivers’ thoughts on the matter, the same can be said.
Marco Andretti teamed with Alonso during the 2017 Indy 500 and knows the impact he left during the Month of May.
“He’s going to the next chapter of his career,” Andretti told Kickin’ The Tires. “We will be good with or without him. He would be an added bonus. Everyone will continue on, he’s one guy, one superstar.”
Such a superstar has the power to run nearly any race he would like in any given year. Running and winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year while competing in F1, the options are endless and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ James Hinchcliffe knows international attention will follow.
“When a guy like Fernando talks, people listen,” Hinchliffe told Kickin’ The Tires. “If he decides to do a year of cherry-picking great races around the world to compete in, I think that will be awesome. As a fan, Id love to follow that kind of journey.
“But if he ends up in IndyCar full time, that will be huge for us. The international attention he brings is not something you can overlook. There will be a great fascination to see how he would do over an entire season with all the different types of circuits we visit. He would bring a lot to an already deep driver talent pool.”
Hinchcliffe also believes Alonso will come back with realistic expectations.
“I think Fernando has a better grasp of that than a lot of other guys in Europe,” he said. “He’s come over here — only one race, but I think he left with a much better understanding and appreciation of what we do in IndyCar and the level of competition. And I think he took some of that back to Europe with him and spread that message.”
SPM teammate and rookie Robert Wickens witnessed the global “Alonso Effect” better than most IndyCar drivers. The 29-year-old didn’t compete in the 2017 Indy 500 with Alonso, rather, was living in Europe during the event and felt the change in the European motorsports community.
“I saw the international traction the series got,” Wickens told Kickin’ The Tires. “Being friends with James [Hinchcliffe] for so long, you’re always following everything. A lot of the European press took notice of what he was doing.
“Who knows where he will end up. What I respect about him most is that he’s a raw racer. I think there is an equal chance of him doing a Daytona 500 because he wants to race and win everything. It’s a rarity to find these days.
“If he’s in IndyCar, it’s going to be great. He’s going to hit the ground running in every category.”
With optimism regarding Alonso’s potential impact on the sport in 2019, others have taken another look on the matter. Specifically, driver talent and how Alonso’s presence could intrude on other drivers’ rise to American racing fame.
Graham Rahal entered IndyCar at 18 years old back in 2008 and the now-veteran is wary of such attention for one driver.
“If you’re looking at the future of the sport, we also have to focus on younger guys and building up that next crop of talent as well,” Rahal told Kickin’ The Tires. “You have to be careful on what Fernando is doing for us today versus what can a Colton Herta do for us 10 years from now.”
The same can be said for the championship-contending veterans.
“On behalf of guys like Scott Dixon, I don’t want them to be overlooked,” he said. “There are some of the best drivers in the world here so they deserve their applause. Certainly, Fernando is a big name. I really enjoyed Fernando, I didn’t spend a whole lot of time with him but every time I did, he was awesome.
“It’s just like everybody: Alexander Rossi, Ryan Hunter-Reay, you got the Penske boys, myself. A lot of guys win here, it’s not like Formula 1 where there are two or three. There is a wide variety and the guy isn’t going to show up in a subpar team. There is no doubt he could compete, no doubt he could win races. I fully would imagine that.”
2013 Indy 500 champion Tony Kanaan embraced Alonso’s presence at the 500 last year and would be happy to see him return. However, he wouldn’t expect Alonso to hit the ground running off the bat.
“Sometimes, we’re underrated,” Kanaan told Kickin’ The Tires. “Anybody who underrates us and came and raced here, they realized how tough it is. I never was really concerned about what people think about the level of IndyCar. You can’t say that unless you don’t race against us. We have plenty of examples over the years of people who came over and had a hard time.”
For Kanaan, the sport isn’t in need of a driver like Alonso, however, he would be a perfect fit for the series moving forward.
“It’s very unfair to say any series needs a driver because it’s a competition of a lot of drivers,” he said. “I think we’re strong enough as a series now where adding people is just better. It’s a different demographic, he’s really popular in Europe, that’s going to get the word around to the world about IndyCar.
“If he makes the decision to come, we’re going to welcome him. It will be a great addition.”