Alonso, the Triple Crown and one of the best of all time?

Since his run at the Indy 500 in May (which ended in bitter irony when his Honda engine gave up), McLaren F1 driver Fernando Alonso has had his eyes on the Le Mans 24 Hour race, one part of the motorsport Triple Crown - winning the Le Mans 24 Hour, Indy 500 and F1's Monaco Grand Prix. This feat has only be only ever been achieved once, by Graham Hill.

Some argue his ambition for the Triple Crown is to compensate for missed championships. He has two to his name but some say he deserves more. He says he wants to achieve the Triple Crown to prove he is one of the best racing drivers, able to compete in any series and win.

Earlier this year, Alonso was announced to be racing the Rolex Daytona 500 in January 2018 for United Autosports, the team conveniently run by McLaren Executive Director Zak Browne. He will team up with McLaren junior and reserve driver Lando Norris and Phil Hanson, a past Le Mans 24 Hour driver. Williams driver Lance Stroll, who raced the Daytona 500 last year, commented that the race wouldn't help Alonso much - expect that Alonso's aim is the Le Mans 24 Hour.

This past weekend saw Alonso part take in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) Rookie Test in Bahrain for Toyota, the bitter rival of McLaren's soon-to-be-ex engine supplier Honda.

Rumours are circulating he will be announced as one of their drivers for the next Le Mans 24 Hour (which doesn't clash with any Formula 1 races in 2018) with some suggesting he will sign on for more than one round of the WEC.

All of this can be summed up in one word: exciting. We have a driver, one of the best in F1, wanting to take risks and put himself out there in racing series that we don't see many F1 drivers transition to at this point in their career.

All of this is set on the backdrop of fascinating F1 politics: Ron Dennis leaving McLaren, Zak Brown coming in, the McLaren-Honda divorce, the McLaren-Renault engagement.

I for one, cannot wait to see Alonso take his Triple Crown.