Last Sunday two of the most outstanding events of the year coincided in terms of racing, at least in terms of prestige. Formula 1 visited the crown jewel of the calendar, while IndyCar played its most recognized race.
Five of the last ten editions of the Indy 500 have been won by former top-flight drivers, showing that there is some cross-over interest in that direction.
Fernando Alonso could be on that list, had it not been for a failure of his Honda power unit at The Brickyard in the same year that he was making his debut in one of the most difficult and prestigious races in the world.
This happened in 2017 and with the goal of the Triple Crown on the horizon, that is, winning the F1 Monaco Grand Prix , the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Indy 500 . In Barcelona, Alonso admitted that ambition is not that great anymore and that he doesn’t know if he will ever compete in the Indianapolis 500 again.
In reference to this curious objective, Max Verstappen spoke last weekend and, despite the fact that on several occasions he has dropped that he would like to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, if it can be with his father, no he was interested in the Triple Crown .
“I have no interest in getting the Triple Crown, it doesn’t appeal to me, at least not in IndyCar,” the Dutch driver told Motorsport.com.
“It’s crazy what those drivers do, I have a lot of respect, but especially now, having been in F1 for a long time, I have no reason to risk my life or injure my legs, for example. It’s just not worth it anymore, let me put it this way.”
As for the world’s most prestigious endurance race, Verstappen has another vision: “Maybe I can race at Le Mans . I like endurance races, so hopefully I can do some. But other than that, I’m not too interested either. I just try to be the best I can be in F1 and in everything I do, but I’m not at all interested in the Triple Crown .”
His teammate at Red Bull, Sergio Pérez, added to this opinion: “I’m not very interested in that either, no. I don’t know if I’m ever going to test endurance, but I don’t think so. Once I leave F1, I want to focus on my family and my children. I have three, so I will be quite busy, “said the Mexican pilot between laughs.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18, ahead of Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75, at the 2022 Monaco GP.
