Formula 1 star Fernando Alonso had inked a deal with Porsche to race one of the automaker’s 919 LMP1 cars in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, however an inconvenient change in the F1 scheduling meant the Spaniard had to forfeit his seat in the hybrid prototype.
According to Spanish sports publication Marca, Alonso struck a deal with Porsche to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 6 Hours of Spa after singing on with McLaren’s F1 team. Not long after that, the FIA released the schedule for the 2015 F1 season, which included the return of the Korean Grand Prix on the weekend of May 1-3. The race, which was ultimately dropped from the calendar, meant Alonso had a scheduling clash with his LMP1 and F1 commitments.
There’s speculation that Bernie Ecclestone and other high ups at F1 put the Korean Grand Prix back on the calendar simply to prevent F1 drivers from competing at Le Mans. However Alonso may have still raced in the 24 hour special despite his absence at Spa, but a rumored clause in his McLaren contract would have prevented it for safety reasons.
Despite not being able to race at Le Mans this year, Marca reports Alonso is still determined to drive in the historic event someday.
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