Fernando Alonso Claims Victory At 6 Hours Of Spa With Toyota

Fernando Alonso has claimed victory at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on his FIA World Endurance Championship debut.

The Spaniard joined forces with Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima and the trio’s Toyota TS050 LMP1 prototype crossed the finish line 1.4 seconds ahead of the second Toyota. This marks Alonso’s first big win since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix with Ferrari.

Despite still racing for the McLaren Formula One team, Alonso was able to ink a deal with Toyota earlier this year. He will contest the entire championship alongside his existing F1 commitments. His participation in the World Endurance Championship comes after his debut at the Indy 500 last year and is part of his goal to win the Triple Crown of motorsport.

“The whole weekend has been amazing in terms of team performance and executing the race in the best possible way. There has been a lot of preparations with the winter testing and all the work back at the factory, but we still have to come to the race and deliver the result,” Alonso said after the race.

Next up on the WEC calendar is the 24 Hours of Le Mans running across the weekend of June 16th. Toyota is favorite to take the win as it is the only OEM manufacturer currently competing in the top class of endurance racing following Audi’s departure in 2016 and Porsche’s decision to end its LMP1 program last year. There are four privateer teams also in LMP1.