Report: Will Fernando Alonso be making a Le Mans debut?

Earlier this year, two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso competed outside of F1 for the first time, competing in the Indianapolis 500. Now, reports say that the Spaniard could soon be racing in another series outside of F1, specifically at the 24 Hour of Le Mans for Toyota.

According to Motorsport.com, Alonso is close to securing a deal with Toyota in which will get to drive the TS050 Hybrid at the upcoming World Endurance Championship (WEC) test in Bahrain this November. This comes after reports say that the Spaniard recently visited the Toyota Motorsport GmbH in Cologne for a seat fitting.

Should this be true, Alonso's test in Bahrain could be a stepping stone to his entry in the 24 Hours of Le Mans given that Toyota continues competing at WEC next season. It will also allow Alonso to achieve his goal of a 'triple crown' – competing at he Monaco Grand Prix, Le Mans and the Indianapolis 500. Alonso's contract is also said to give him freedom to race compete in other series as long as it does not interfere with his F1 races. In fact, the Spaniard has already confirmed that he will be entering the 24 Hours of Daytona.

At the moment, the Japanese automaker has yet to commit to staying in WEC given that Porsche will be pulling out of the series at the end of this season. This leaves them as the only LMP1 team in the series without any other direct competition. Furthermore, Toyota has yet to confirm or deny the stories, with a spokesman only saying that they have no comment regarding the report.  

Source: Motorsport.com