Formula 1: All signs point to Fernando Alonso driving in IndyCar in 2019

After his Formula 1 retirement announcement, all signs are pointing to two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso driving full-time in IndyCar in 2019.

Two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso announced on Tuesday that the final nine races of the 2018 Formula 1 season will be his final nine races as a Formula 1 driver, as he is set to retire from the sport after the season finale, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, at the end of November. He has driven in Formula 1 for 17 seasons.

Alonso skipped last year’s Monaco Grand Prix to compete in the Indy 500, which was his first career IndyCar race, and he was very competitive in it. He qualified in fifth place and led 27 laps of the race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana before his engine failed with just 21 laps remaining in the 200-lap race. Otherwise, he likely would have been in a position to win.

Ever since, there has been speculation that the 37-year-old Spaniard might return to IndyCar either just for the Indianapolis 500 or to become a full-time driver in the sport.

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This speculation heated up after it was revealed in April that Alonso would likely not return to McLaren next season, and it heated up even more after he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time this June, giving him at least one victory in each of the three races of the Triple Crown of Motorsport except for the Indy 500, as he is also a two-time Monaco Grand Prix winner.

Now, this speculation is at its peak after Alonso announced his impending retirement from Formula 1, and rightfully so.

After all, it has previously been revealed that he Alonso interested in competing in IndyCar, and he has made clear that he wants to compete in the Indy 500 again, as a victory in that race would make him just the second driver to win all three races of the Triple Crown of Motorsport at least once. Only the late Graham Hill as ever pulled that off.

McLaren, the team for which Alonso has driven in Formula 1 for five seasons, including each of the last four, partnered with Andretti Autosport to field an entry for Alonso in last year’s Indy 500. In doing so, they ended a 38-year absence from IndyCar, and they have been trying to put a full-time IndyCar effort for next season. If they end up doing so, Alonso would likely be their driver.

Mark Miles, the CEO of Hulman & Company, which is the parent organization of IndyCar, made clear that IndyCar supports McLaren’s continued effort to return to IndyCar and get Alonso behind the wheel of a car full-time.

Here is what Miles had to say about the matter, according to Motorsport.com.

"“Today’s announcement [about Fernando Alonso retiring from Formula 1] certainly has fueled excitement among IndyCar fans who hope that Alonso will compete throughout the championship in 2019. McLaren is working to put all the necessary arrangements in place, and we are supporting their efforts. I don’t expect this to be resolved until closer to the end of this year.”"

But while IndyCar’s newest team, Carlin Motorsport, believe that McLaren are more than likely too late in terms of getting an entry ready for next season, the support from IndyCar that McLaren have and the fact that there are multiple possibilities as far as potential affiliations go means that everything is pointing in the direction of the Woking-based team joining IndyCar full-time next season with Alonso as their driver.

There have been several rumors going around about a potential affiliation for McLaren involving Andretti Autosport, Harding Racing and Chevrolet, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing may also be an option as far as a potential affiliation is concerned, so the odds that McLaren and Alonso are completely left off the 2019 IndyCar grid are extremely small at this point.

Do you believe that Fernando Alonso will drive full-time in IndyCar in 2019? If not, do you believe that he ever become a full-time IndyCar driver? Regardless of whether or not he drives full-time in IndyCar, do you believe that he will return to compete in the Indianapolis 500 again? If so, when?