Alonso seals victory in WEC debut

Fernando Alonso's bid to claim motorsport's 'Triple Crown' could come a step closer in 2018 as he eyes Le Mans 24 Hours glory, having tasted success in his World Endurance Championship debut at the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Alonso won from pole alongside Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastien Buemi.

Fernando Alonso's bid to claim motorsport's 'Triple Crown' could come a step closer in 2018 as he eyes Le Mans 24 Hours glory, having tasted success in his World Endurance Championship debut at the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Alonso won from pole alongside Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastien Buemi.

Victory is Alonso's first since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, with the Spanish veteran having endured a miserable run with McLaren in Formula 1 as their relationship with Honda fell flat.

Having given up on his hopes of matching the statistics of F1 legend Michael Schumacher, Alonso has set his sights on taking out the 'Triple Crown' of Monaco Grand Prix, Indianapolis 500 and Le Mans.

Only Graham Hill has victories in all three iconic races. Alonso has twice won in Monte Carlo and saw his maiden attempt at the Indy 500 curtailed by engine failure after an impressive performance.

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Alonso has never won a grand prix at Spa, but the famous Belgian racetrack played host to his WEC debut, in which his #8 Toyota started at the front of the grid after the sister car was stripped of pole due to an issue with the fuel flow meter.

The #7 Toyota started from the pit lane, helping Buemi build an early advantage over the privateer LMP1 entrants, although the #8 car driven by Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez made up good ground thanks to a spate of safety car periods.

Alonso was put under serious pressure by Conway in the closing stages, the #8 Toyota getting right onto the F1 star's tail, but Alonso was able to keep his nose ahead, before eventually pulling the gap in the closing stages.

#8 @Toyota_Hybrid take the #6hSpa Chequered Flag????and win the sensational Super Season Opener, @alo_oficial has his maiden victory at his #WEC debut????

Congratulations to the whole crew! #WEC pic.twitter.com/3BdtjYaFLp — WEC (@FIAWEC) May 5, 2018