Fernando Alonso to enter 2017 Indy 500

Fernando Alonso's dream of racing in the Indianapolis 500 is set to come true – this year.

In an unprecedented deal struck between Verizon IndyCar Series CEO Mark Miles, McLaren Technology Group Executive Director Zak Brown, and Honda, RACER has learned from multiple sources that the two-time Formula 1 World Champion has finalized a plan to compete in the 101st Indy 500 in a car entered by McLaren and run by defending race winners Andretti Autosport. The deal is expected to be announced today.

The Spaniard, whose talents have flattered the recent creations from the Honda-powered McLaren F1 team, will complete a formidable six-car Andretti lineup comprised of team leader and 2014 Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay, reigning Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi, oval veterans Marco Andretti and Takuma Sato, and rookie Jack Harvey.

The arrangement will force Alonso to miss this year's Monaco Grand Prix, which takes place the same May 26-28 weekend as the Indy 500, however RACER understands that Brown has contacted Jenson Button (BELOW) – who vacated his race seat at McLaren at the end of 2016, but remains under contract to the team – to enquire about his availability. Alonso is expected to return to the cockpit of his McLaren for the following race in Canada, and complete the rest of the F1 season.

The Briton has yet to sample McLaren's 2017 car, but if confirmed as Alonso's one-off replacement, he could potentially drive in next week's post-Bahrain test to get himself acclimatized to the current McLaren MCL32.

Widely regarded as one of the best drivers in the world, Alonso's career has been solely focused on road racing, and although the Indy 500 has previously been won by several F1 world champions, the 35-year-old would face the same steep learning curve that awaits every oval rookie.

To accelerate Alonso's oval education, RACER understands that IndyCar will arrange for at least one familiarization test with Andretti and Honda at Indianapolis Motor Speedway prior to the official Indy 500 Rookie Orientation Program. ROP is scheduled for Monday, May 15, the day after Alonso takes part in the Spanish Grand Prix.

Alonso's entry to the Indy 500 marks the second time since 2015 that a current F1 driver has taken part in one of motor racing's flagship non-F1 events. Alonso come close to racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Porsche two years ago, but those plans eventually fell through, which opened the door for Nico Hulkenberg - then racing for Force India – who went on to secure a famous debut victory at the legendary endurance race.

The last significant F1-to-Indy crossovers took place in 1992 when three-time world champion Nelson Piquet drove for Menard Racing, and in 1993 when reigning champion Nigel Mansell switched to IndyCar with Newman/Haas Racing, but both had left the Grand Prix scene by the time they arrived at IMS. Since then, the likes of Rubens Barrichello and Jean Alesi have made appearances. Both of the two most recent Indy 500 winners also have F1 credentials, with Alexander Rossi having made five starts with Marussia in 2015, and Juan Pablo Montoya being a seven-time GP winner with Williams and McLaren.

The last active F1 driver to compete in the race was Teo Fabi, who spent most of the 1984 season with Brabham and finished 24th at Indy for Forsythe Racing. With his 1993 Indy 500 win, Emerson Fittipaldi continues to serve as the last F1 world champion to later have his face immortalized on the Borg-Warner Trophy, although 1995 Indy winner Jacques Villeneuve switched to F1 and won the world title with Williams in 1997.