Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg share something nobody else on the F1 grid has – a 24 hours of Le Mans victory. Both drivers (Alonso in 2018 and 2019, Hulkenberg in 2015) have triumphed at the iconic event.
In recent years, several F1 drivers have expressed interest in competing in the 24 hour event.
Max Verstappen is among them, explaining that he’s already spoken about this endeavour with Fernando Alonso.
Verstappen and Alonso look for a third driver
Due to the intense schedule of an F1 season, now featuring a total of 24 races, there are limited opportunities for F1 driver to race in other categories.
With that said, Verstappen is serious about competing in the 24 hours of Le Mans.
The Dutchman certainly won’t have any issues getting permission form Red Bull – given his standing in the team.
Fernando Alonso’s status at Aston Martin is at a similarly high level, meaning both drivers have some manoeuvrability to pull off this project.
To complete a driver line-up for Le Mans, Verstappen and Alonso will need a third driver.
As the four-time Champion explains, they already have a clear profile in mind for their final roster slot:
“It’s in the back of our minds, we know that we want to do it,” he told Mirror Sport.
“Let’s see what happens. A lot of things can happen. There are many great drivers that you can pick from.
“I have a lot of friends also who race, so it will be hard to pick one.
“The only thing is, for Le Mans, there’s no minimum weight for the driver.
“I’m quite a heavy competitor, so I would have to find light team-mates to compensate.
“Fernando is quite light so that would be very good for us, but we would need to find another one.”
Aston Martin’s Valkyrie entry
To make the potential for an Alonso-Verstappen collaboration even more feasible, Aston Martin have recently unveiled their ‘Valkyrie’ car for this year’s 24 hours of Le Mans.
The British outfit aim to claim their first Le Mans victory in decades with this piece of machinery.
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As it stands, Aston’s line-up with the Valkyrie Hypercar consists of the following drivers: Harry Tincknell, Ross Gunn and Marco Sørensen.
Therefore, Verstappen, Alonso and a currently unknown third driver shouldn’t be expected to compete in this year’s edition of Le Mans.
However, there is no reason why it could not happen further down the line.
Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso, perhaps more than anyone else on the grid, have an obsession with racing.
Assuming they find another driver to their liking, they would make a formidable partnership in Le Mans.
Kevin Magnussen’s impressive appearance in IMSA last month is a reminder of the quality F1 drivers can deliver.
Moreover, given Ferrari’s successive victories in Le Mans, the likes of Charles Leclerc have spoken about eventually dipping their toes into Le Mans.
Should an active F1 driver (for the first time since Alonso in 2018) take the plunge and compete in this historic 24 hour race, it could inspire others to do so.
