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Fernando Alonso to race in the 24 Hours of Daytona

MEXICO CITY — McLaren Formula One driver Fernando Alonso will compete in next January's 24 Hours of Daytona as preparation for an eventual race at Le Mans. The United Autosports team owned by McLaren executive director Zak Brown announced the move on Thursday. Alonso, a double Formula One world champion who is competing in this weekend's Mexican Grand Prix, made a big impression last May when he entered the Indianapolis 500 and led for 27 laps. He has set his sights on becoming only the second driver, after Briton Graham Hill, to win motorsport's Triple Crown. That entails winning the Formula One title, or Monaco Grand Prix according to other interpretations, as well as Indianapolis and Le Mans. Alonso, 36, has won Monaco as well as his 2004 and 2005 world titles. He recently signed a contract extension keeping him at McLaren in 2018. "The Daytona 24 Hours is the most iconic U.S. endurance race and one of the world's great races. Everyone knows it," said the Spaniard. "It's not part of the Triple Crown but, as I have always said, my aim is to be a complete driver and this experience will help me in the preparation for any other endurance race I might take part in. "I am excited to go back and race in America," he added. "After the great time I had during the month of May for the Indy 500, I am looking forward to taking part in another legendary race that will bring back all those amazing sensations that US fans gave me." Daytona comes before the start of Formula One's pre-season testing when drivers are mostly working on physical preparation for the year ahead. Le Mans, on June 16-17, does not clash with any grand prix — unlike Indianapolis, which is on the same weekend as the showcase Monaco race. Alonso will partner British teenagers Lando Norris, the McLaren development driver tipped to take a reserve role next season, and Phil Hanson. Daytona, in Florida, will be the first time the Spaniard has raced a prototype sports car. Reporting by Alan BaldwinRelated Video: Image Credit: Getty Motorsports McLaren Racing Vehicles US

2015 Brazilian Grand Prix is the same as it ever was

At this point, we hope Nico Rosberg is planning to carry his current qualifying form into the 2016 season and back it up with the same kind of race-day cojones he showed winning the race in Mexico City two weeks ago. The Mercedes-AMG Petronas driver got it right enough again on Saturday afternoon to take his fifth consecutive pole position ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton by almost a tenth of a second. It's the same one-two from Brazil last year. The bad news for the rest of the field is that the winner in Brazil the last seven years has been one of the two drivers on the front row. Last year it was the Williams duo that lined up behind Mercedes, this year it's Ferrari. Sebastian Vettel plays the stalking horse, securing third in his Ferrari ahead of teammate Kimi Raikkonen in fourth. Williams driver Valtteri Bottas actually qualified in fourth, but he had to serve a three-spot grid penalty for passing under red flags in Free Practice 2, so he started sixth. That promoted Sahara Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg up to fifth. Daniil Kvyat was the quickest representative from Infiniti Red Bull Racing, getting into seventh even with a Renault power unit that's weak on some of the key stretches at the Interlagos track. Felipe Massa had the second Williams in eighth, in front of the second Red Bull driven by Daniel Ricciardo in ninth. Toro Rosso hasn't confirmed its drivers for next year but Max Verstappen keeps making it hard to look elsewhere, taking 10th. Rosberg is working nearly the same trick he pulled last year: drive like a second driver for most of the year, drive like a world champion for the last quarter of a season. He pulled away at the start and covered Hamilton just enough on the run to the first corner to keep Hamilton on the outside. By the end of Turn 1 the German had the lead and didn't give it up for the rest of the race outside of pit stops. Without overwhelming pace to pass and unable to follow closely, Hamilton could do nothing except ask his team for a different strategy to go for the win. When Mercedes told him "No," trying to protect Rosberg's second place in the championship ahead of Vettel, that was the race. Just like last year, Rosberg and Hamilton finished one-two. Vettel, Raikkonen, Bottas, Hulkenberg, and Kvyat drove lonely races to finish in positions three through seven.

2018 McLaren 720S Drivers' Notes | Menacing middle child

It's been seven years since McLaren launched the MP4-12C (later simplified to just 12C), the vehicle that kicked off the British brand's three-tiered assault on the supercar market. The Sports Series is currently made up of the 540, 570, and 600 lineups. The 720S is the only member of the Super Series, one rung higher up the ladder from Sport and one below the Ultimate level of the McLaren Senna. The McLaren 720S is powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine that spins out 710 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. That's sufficient to push the sinewy supercar from 0-60 in 2.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 212 miles per hour. We tested two different 720S models. The silver car pictured here boasts a number of options, including a Luxury package that adds exterior trim in Dark Palladium, engine bay ambient lighting, and premium leather for the heated and power-operated seats. Our test car was also fitted with a front splitter, air intakes, and door mirrors in carbon fiber, and a sports exhaust system. Total price came to $342,135. Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski: The McLaren 720S is one of the most impressive vehicles available to buy today. It looks incredible, with swoopy good looks that capitalize on air intakes that cut deep into the car's bodywork to create negative space and add drama to the supercar's design. And it drives even better. My test car was a shade of silver that I don't really think does the car any favors, and doesn't stand out like the purple-hued 720S my colleagues in Michigan drove. Still, as I shrieked down highways and byways in and around Seattle, the McLaren had no problem attracting admiring stares and inciting impromptu rolling drag race offers. These, naturally, I declined. I already knew I had the fastest car on the block. The 720S is powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine that feels like a major advancement from the company's older 3.8-liter unit. It revs like an F1 car, plowing through first and second gears so fast that its driver is squarely into suspended-license speeds in the blink of an eye. But despite its headline-grabbing spec sheet, the 720S can actually be quite docile out on the road. Comfort mode softens the 720S nicely for bumpy, potholed roads. Sport mode stiffens everything up perfectly, and Track mode loosens up the electronic nannies so far that I wouldn't use it on the street. It is Track mode, after all.