Fernando Alonso’s unique position in motorsport history has drawn praise from his former McLaren teammate, Jenson Button. Writing in “Jenson’s Journal” on the Aston Martin F1 website, the 2009 World Champion backed the Spaniard as the most logical candidate to match Graham Hill’s legacy as the only driver ever to complete motorsport’s Triple Crown.
“The Monaco Grand Prix is part of the motorsport Triple Crown alongside the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Indy 500. I’ve completed one leg but I don’t envisage getting all three,” Button wrote. “Fernando probably has the best shot of anyone at completing the Triple Crown because he’s already won Monaco and Le Mans, and he’s come close at Indy, having led there. If he wants another go at it, he absolutely has a chance.”
Button Eyes a Valkyrie Le Mans Debut
While Button explicitly ruled out a personal venture to the Brickyard, stating, “As for the Indy 500? I’ve got huge respect for those drivers but that’s not for me,” the Briton confessed that his own endurance racing ambitions are far from extinguished.
Now serving as an ambassador for Aston Martin, Button teased a dream scenario that would see him return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans piloting the manufacturer’s flagship hypercar—a machine heavily influenced by F1’s most celebrated aerodynamicist.
“I’ve had a couple of attempts at Le Mans, but winning there hasn’t quite happened,” Button observed. “I’d love to drive the Aston Martin Valkyrie around Le Mans one day though. Perhaps we can make it happen. It would be my chance to finally drive an Adrian Newey-designed car.”
With Aston Martin aggressively expanding its top-level sports car programs, Button’s desire to pilot a Newey-designed Hypercar at La Sarthe might transition from a hypothetical journal entry into a reality, proving that the allure of motorsport’s greatest spectacles remains impossible to resist.
The team currently sits in fourth place in the WEC Hypercar division after the first two rounds of the season.
McLaren’s Global Hypercar Blueprint
McLaren, as a racing organization, has two of the three Triple Crown events, having won both the Indy 500 and Monaco on multiple occasions.
This year, the Woking-based racing team unveiled the McLaren MCL-HY. This is their much-anticipated entry into the world of top-flight sports car racing. McLaren Racing officially fully unveiled the MCL-HY, a dedicated race car built to the global LMDh regulations. It begins on-track testing this summer to prepare for a full-factory grid debut at the 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans and WEC season.
Zak Brown’s ultimate goal is for the team to win the 24-hour race in France, stating at the unveiling: “This means McLaren, its partners, and fans can challenge for the Triple Crown of the Monaco GP, Indy 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans together—a unique cross-series story that sets us apart.”
Zak Brown’s Unfinished Indy Business
While Fernando Alonso currently drives for Aston Martin, his chance to match Graham Hill’s achievements could come in a McLaren, for whom he raced alongside Jenson Button. Ahead of the Indy 500 race last weekend, Zak Brown attended the grand opening of the new McLaren Racing Center on Wednesday in Indianapolis.
He made it abundantly clear that the door at Arrow McLaren (the IndyCar racing outfit) remains wide open for Alonso should he ever choose to return to “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
Alonso’s history with the Indy 500 carries a distinct cinematic flair. Across three attempts, his standout moment came during a mythical 2017 debut where he thrilled American crowds and led multiple laps before a cruel engine failure snatched victory away. He has stayed away from the event since the pandemic-disrupted 2020 edition, but Brown is actively trying to rewrite the script.
With Alonso now 44 and entering the final year of his current Aston Martin contract, Brown is unashamedly leading the recruitment campaign.
“But post that and post when Fernando stops in F1—this is his last contractual year, which doesn’t mean he won’t continue—but I talk to him about it like every time I see him,” Brown admitted. “I think we’ve got a car that can win the Indy 500. And I think he’s very capable of winning the Indy 500.
“I thoroughly enjoyed racing with him here. He enjoyed it all but one of the years, but loved the first year. I mean, it was magic. I’d love to see Fernando back at the Indy 500 with us. That is something I’ll continue to bug him about.”
Heartbreak and Strategy at the Brickyard
At the latest running of the fastest motor race on Earth, it proved to be once again a disappointment for McLaren and their drivers. With 33 entries allowed, teams often run a one-off extra car with a driver who previously excelled in the IndyCar series.
For McLaren, this was Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2012 series winner and Indy 500 champ just two years later. Yet the years in retirement haven’t served the veteran well, as an early mistake saw him spin his car into the barriers at Turn 2, ending his race and bringing out the first safety car.
Neither Nolan Siegel nor Christian Lundgaard made it to the top ten, although Pato O’Ward, McLaren’s star Mexican driver, was close as the 500-mile race entered its final stages. He finished fourth, within half a second of Penske drivers David Malukas and Scott McLaughlin, but both were pipped by the unfancied Felix Rosenqvist in his Meyer Shank Racing car at the line.
A Historic Photo Finish
The Swedish driver had chosen an alternative strategy, pitting much earlier for his final stint, which paid off as a string of late safety cars meant he now had enough fuel to complete the distance without another stop like his rivals.
Yet he was in third place starting the final lap and entering Turn 1, but a slipstream along the back straight and a daring line through the final two corners gave him just enough overspeed to steal it from Malukas at the Yard of Bricks.
This was the closest ever finish to the Indy 500 in its 110-year history.
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A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
