Fernando Alonso finally wins at Indy...sort of

For a racing driver to have the triple crown of motorsports, they have to win in Monaco, Circuit de la Sarthe, and Indianapolis. Fernando Alonso's quest for the triple crown is no secret. The two-time Formula champion has won the Monaco Grand Prix twice, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans; also twice. There's only hurdle left, and that's Indy.

But now, we can all Alonso an Indy winner, at least in the virtual world. Alonso recently ran in the Legends Trophy sim race in a virtual version of the track and swept two rounds of the race. But even with the seemingly dominant performance, it didn't come easy for him.

In the first heat, he battled hard with fellow Formula 1 champion, Jenson Button. The Spaniard called the 2009 champ “a very smart guy”, and said “We were studying each other, but with Jenson, you never know. He’s always one step ahead, and I was very worried that I would slip”.

Button and Alonso constantly swapped places for the lead. For a large chunk of the 20-minute sprint, the two were never more than three-tenths of a second away from each other. The finish came down to the wire when Button's car slid sideways in the final turn. He was able to recover from the slide but Alonso carried more than enough momentum to edge past Button.

Alonso barely pipped Button, with the gap between the two at just 0.037 seconds. “He had a moment in turn four one lap before the end, and that was enough of a gap for me,” said Alonso. As for the second round, Alonso started from 21st but quickly made his way up to win both heats of the Indy round of Legends Trophy.

With a virtual win at Indianapolis, we're certain that Alonso will be a threat for the real Indianapolis 500 to be held this August. Alonso is still trying to chase that elusive Indy 500 trophy but has been met with bad luck. His first attempt saw his chances end with a blown engine, and he failed to qualify for the second attempt due to the car not being set up properly for the track.

If Fernando Alonso is able to win the Indy 500, he will only be one of two drivers who have successfully achieved the coveted triple crown. The first driver to accomplish this monumental achievement in motorsport is Graham Hill. Should Alonso cross the line first, he can perhaps be called one of the greatest racing drivers of all time.