Fernando Alonso to miss Monaco GP for Indianapolis 500

McLaren driver Fernando Alonso will not compete in the sixth round of Formula 1 championship, the Monaco GP. Instead, the Spaniard will be participating in the Indianapolis 500 race in America. The 101st Indy 500 race and the Monaco GP have been scheduled on the same day i.e. May 28, 2017.

Alonso will be driving a McLaren-entered, Honda-driven car under the Andretti Autosport team, which is headed by former F1 driver- Michael Andretti. The team is currently the defending champion as it had won the Indianapolis 500 race last year. Meanwhile, Alonso has never competed in the IndyCar oval race. He will thus be flying to Indianapolis immediately after the Spanish Grand Prix on May 14 in order to start practising on the oval track.

McLaren's decision to let go off Alonso for the Monaco GP is also being seen as the team's efforts to keep the Spaniard happy by giving him diverse racing exposure. The McLaren F1 team is currently struggling with repeated technical issues. Despite a great driving show in last weekend's Chinese GP that brought him as high as sixth, Alonso could not complete the race owing to a drivetrain fault. Since Alonso's contract will be ending after this season, McLaren might be concerned whether the Spaniard would leave the team and look for other opportunities, being irked by the continuous technical difficulties with the car.

Honda hasn't yet named the driver who will be replacing Alonso for the Monaco GP. However, rumours suggest that the team might use Jenson Button for the race, as he is still under contract with the McLaren team.

Source: Formula1