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Written by Jason Barlow
When exactly did the idea of a motorsport Triple Crown become such a thing"? At precisely the moment Fernando Alonso decided it seemed a more realistic prospect than another hatful of Formula One world titles.Given that Graham Hill remains the only man in motorsport history to win the Monaco Grand Prix (1963, "64, "65, "68 and "69), the Le Mans 24 hours endurance race (1972), and the Indianapolis 500 (1966) not to mention two F1 world championships it"s tempting to reach one of two conclusions. Firstly, that Alonso"s current situation in F1, saddled with a McLaren that couldn"t get out of its own way, is so dire that he needs another focus. Hitting 230mph round the Brickyard will certainly give him that, and having gone fifth fastest in the pole shoot-out last weekend, how refreshing was it to see smiley Fernando replace surly Ferdy? (McLaren"s gamble to let him race in the 500 has been widely criticised, but as a piece of motivational therapy, it"s already paid off.)Secondly, that he knows he"s the best in the game, and needs to claim an accolade that"s gone unchallenged for 45 years to remind the world that he, Fernando Alonso, really is the Muhammad Ali of motor racing. Or maybe a samurai (he has one tattooed on his back).There are other reasons why this seems to matter to him more than it ought to, not least because his two F1 titles, in 2005 and "06, must feel like so much ancient history. Seriously, stop for a moment and think: no Spotify, no Instagram, no Brexit, no Trump in the White House, no Bake Off That"s not 11 years ago, that"s another world. But Fernando is also a born racer, and although there"s always great satisfaction for a driver who can out-perform his car and Alonso regularly does that he"s clearly grown weary of wasting his talent on bailing out an ailing McLaren.On which basis, sacrificing Monaco for Indianapolis the calendar clash is one of the reasons contemporary F1 drivers can"t do both is a no-brainer. Especially as he"s won the Monaco GP, back-to-back, in 2006 and 2007, as he noted in an official statement when his Indy 500 bid was announced. No-one"s going to notice if he finishes, say, seventh there this weekend, even if he turns in the drive of his life. Yet more than two million people streamed his first test the first test! in the (Honda-powered) Andretti Autosport Indy car in early May.And right there is why the Triple Crown idea still resonates. In Graham Hill"s heyday, the world"s top drivers would have raced each other on billy carts for a few quid and the glory of it. Sir Jackie Stewart once told me he made 86 transatlantic flights in 1972, earning himself a duodenal ulcer in the process. But that"s what racing drivers did: race. Everywhere, in everything.
Date written: 27 May 2017
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 7947
When exactly did the idea of a motorsport Triple Crown become such a thing"? At precisely the moment Fernando Alonso decided it seemed a more realistic prospect than another hatful of Formula One world titles.Given that Graham Hill remains the only man in motorsport history to win the Monaco Grand Prix (1963, "64, "65, "68 and "69), the Le Mans 24 hours endurance race (1972), and the Indianapolis 500 (1966) not to mention two F1 world championships it"s tempting to reach one of two conclusions. Firstly, that Alonso"s current situation in F1, saddled with a McLaren that couldn"t get out of its own way, is so dire that he needs another focus. Hitting 230mph round the Brickyard will certainly give him that, and having gone fifth fastest in the pole shoot-out last weekend, how refreshing was it to see smiley Fernando replace surly Ferdy? (McLaren"s gamble to let him race in the 500 has been widely criticised, but as a piece of motivational therapy, it"s already paid off.)Secondly, that he knows he"s the best in the game, and needs to claim an accolade that"s gone unchallenged for 45 years to remind the world that he, Fernando Alonso, really is the Muhammad Ali of motor racing. Or maybe a samurai (he has one tattooed on his back).There are other reasons why this seems to matter to him more than it ought to, not least because his two F1 titles, in 2005 and "06, must feel like so much ancient history. Seriously, stop for a moment and think: no Spotify, no Instagram, no Brexit, no Trump in the White House, no Bake Off That"s not 11 years ago, that"s another world. But Fernando is also a born racer, and although there"s always great satisfaction for a driver who can out-perform his car and Alonso regularly does that he"s clearly grown weary of wasting his talent on bailing out an ailing McLaren.On which basis, sacrificing Monaco for Indianapolis the calendar clash is one of the reasons contemporary F1 drivers can"t do both is a no-brainer. Especially as he"s won the Monaco GP, back-to-back, in 2006 and 2007, as he noted in an official statement when his Indy 500 bid was announced. No-one"s going to notice if he finishes, say, seventh there this weekend, even if he turns in the drive of his life. Yet more than two million people streamed his first test the first test! in the (Honda-powered) Andretti Autosport Indy car in early May.And right there is why the Triple Crown idea still resonates. In Graham Hill"s heyday, the world"s top drivers would have raced each other on billy carts for a few quid and the glory of it. Sir Jackie Stewart once told me he made 86 transatlantic flights in 1972, earning himself a duodenal ulcer in the process. But that"s what racing drivers did: race. Everywhere, in everything.
Date written: 27 May 2017
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 7947
