Alonso to start Le Mans in pole

Fernando Alonso put speculation about his future and his torrid Formula 1 form behind him, as team-mate Kazuki Nakajima's blistering lap ensured the Toyota of the Spaniard will start the Le Mans race in pole position as he bids for part two of the triple crown.

Nakajima's lap was a full two seconds faster than Toyota's sister car which is in a league of its own in this years' competition, and Alonso, by far the most high profile driver in the race, is in an excellent position to edge closer to his goal of winning the triple crown.

Racing's triple crown is to win the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indy 500 and Le Mans, a feat only achieved before by former F1 world champion Graham Hill, and victory at the Circuit de la Sarthe would mean only the Indy 500 is required for the Spaniard to achieve his goal.

Alonso has grown hugely frustrated in Formula 1 with his McLaren car well off the pace and also suffering reliability issues, leading to speculation that he sees his future away from the sport.

????Fin de la séance d'essais qualificatifs

La @Toyota_Hybrid #8 de Fernando Alonso @alo_oficial @Sebastien_buemi et Kazuki Nakajima @kazuki_info partira en pole position samedi ! ????#LEMANS24 #WEC pic.twitter.com/UJw3IlUWB6 — 24 Heures du Mans (@24heuresdumans) June 14, 2018

Another F1 world champion was also competing in the race, with Jenson Button also involved. The Brit has been racing for Russian-backed team SMP with fellow ex-F1 racer Vitaly Petrov though as his car is not a hybrid he is subject to different race stipulations than Alonso, in the LM P1 class.

Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya is also involved, with his United Autosports car starting in 24th position while F1's own Paul Di Resta is in the sister car for the race which begins at 14:00BST on Saturday.