On Sunday 11 June 1972, after finishing first at the 40th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a driver and a marque went down in history. For French firm Matra, this was their first Le Mans win; for their driver, Graham Hill, it was the third and final element in his quest for racing’s greatest distinction. With timeless class and grandeur, he achieved what many believed to be impossible: the Triple Crown, after slaying motorsport’s three-headed monster – the stuff of legends. Already part of motor racing aristocracy, Formula One world champion in 1962 and 1968, Hill achieved the ultimate accolade. That day, he was crowned the undisputed monarch of the racing realm, as the first and still the only driver to have epitomized absolute speed and extreme endurance, with a princely posture! Having already won the Monaco Grand Prix five times (1963/64/65/68/69) and having triumphed in the Indy 500 (1966), he completed his glorious hat-trick with victory alongside Henri Pescarolo at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 45 years ago. Almost half a century has gone by since, during which the Crown has lost some of its lustre. These days, fewer drivers alternate between disciplines and racing calendars allow little leeway for those who might consider aiming for the ultimate prize, and so the Triple Crown has almost been relegated to history, a relic from the days when motor racing’s giants would happily switch from the streets of Monaco to the Indianapolis Speedway via the cockpit of a sports prototype at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Their names were Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart... and nothing could stop them.

1978 F1 world champion and 1969 Indy 500 winner Mario Andretti, another of motorsport’s biggest names, tried to resurrect the legend in the 1990s, believing he could substitute the Monaco Grand Prix win with the F1 world championship title. His efforts were in vain, however: the Italian-American driver, who debuted at Le Mans in a Ford GT40 in the 1960s, who had been part of the Mirage adventure in the 1980s, who had finished sixth in 1988 at the wheel of a ‘factory’ Porsche 962, returned to La Sarthe in 1995 in an attempt to take the final leg of the Crown. Teamed with French drivers Bob Wollek and Eric Hélary, he came a very close second in a Courage-Porsche. He made another couple of attempts but again failed to achieve his goal, placing 13th in 1996 and retiring early in 1997. In 2000, even though he had officially ended his driving career six years earlier, he made one last appearance, aged 60, in a Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S for Team Panoz Motor Sports. Alas, a Le Mans 24 Hours victory remained out of his reach, putting an end to his dream of claiming the Triple Crown.

1997 F1 world champion and winner of the 500 Miles in 1995, Jacques Villeneuve also set out on his own quest for motorsport’s holy grail. Like Andretti, he was convinced that his F1 world title would qualify him for the Triple Crown and, in 2007, lined up at the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the wheel of a Peugeot 908. With teammates Nicolas Minassian and Marc Gené, the Canadian was running second with just two hours to go, when his engine let him down and he was forced to retire. He managed to finish the race in 2008 but had to make do with second place. 

Currently, Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya is the only active driver to have won the Monaco Grand Prix de Monaco (2003) and the Indy 500 (2000 and 2015), and is thus best placed to clinch the esteemed crown. He has won the 24 Hours of Daytona but has never raced at Le Mans, and does not appear to have the passion, determination and patience required to claim the greatest prize of all. Fernando Alonso, on the other hand, certainly boasts those qualities, in addition to a fascination for the heroic drivers of the past who would take to the wheel of any car and brave the dangers at circuits across the world.

It comes as no surprise then that yesterday, the double Formula One champion (2005 and 2006) came to defy the famed ‘Brickyard’ [originally an oval paved with 3.2 million bricks; there is still a symbolic metre of bricks at the start/finish line, Ed.] in Indiana and pursue his own Triple Crown campaign. Alonso, who won at Monaco in 2006 and 2007, dreams of winning the Indy 500 followed by the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and prove once and for all that he is the best driver of his generation.

It would make a wonderful story and would excite motorsport fans everywhere. It also provides further fuel for the Spanish driver’s passion. “I have loved every kind of motor racing ever since I first grabbed hold of a steering wheel when I was three," he explains. “I’m also fascinated by the ‘good old days’ when the best drivers switched from one discipline to another. I get the feeling that nothing could stop them chasing their dream, there were no obstacles. The Indy 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Grands Prix… It’s something I’ve always wanted to experience! I’ve proven my worth in F1, and I would love to take the legendary Triple Crown. I know it’s a huge challenge. I didn’t know anything about the techniques or strategies required in Indycar a few weeks ago, nothing about oval track racing, refuelling or the starting procedures. I had all that to learn but I was never afraid of not being ready. I wasn’t worried about that or much else. It’s a massive challenge but so inspiring! Collecting eight world titles and beating Schumacher’s record would be fabulous but I don’t have time for that. There’s still enough time to take the Triple Crown though. I see myself as a ‘racer’, an all-round driver able to adapt to any kind of car, and the best way to demonstrate that is to rise to this challenge.” And yesterday he was on course to take a win on his first attempt until his engine gave out just 21 laps from the finish.

“Racing drivers have to learn to trust their instincts,” states Mario Andretti. “Fernando is one of the best and soon learned to go with his feelings. He could have won.” A view shared by the Grand Marshal at this year’s 24 Hours, Mark Webber. The former F1 and endurance driver, winner of 9 Grands Prix and WEC title holder in 2015, claims that Alonso has the potential to become the second driver to be bestowed with the Triple Crown. “He can do it within the next ten years,” affirms the young retiree. “There’s no rush. He seems to think that the Indy 500 trophy will be the hardest to take, and I pretty much share that opinion. Like the 24 Hours, you have to wait for the right opportunity and that can take time. He has the driving ability, there’s no doubt about that – now it’s his thirst for victory and his mindset that will make all the difference.”

Ultimately, it is not such a big leap from the Indiana Brickyard to Indianopolis Corner at Le Mans, and the Spaniard will no doubt make a run at it as soon as he’s offered a seat in a car capable of winning. He was on the verge of competing at Le Mans at the wheel of a Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 in 2015, but was prevented from doing so by Ron Dennis, his boss at McLaren at the time. Nico Hülkenberg took his place and went home with the trophy! In 2014, while still with Scuderia Ferrari, Alonso came to La Sarthe to wave the flag to start the race. He was enthralled by the magic of the event and knows that one day, he will compete in what is surely the world’s greatest race. It is not a matter of if but when.

“Monaco is in the bag so there is plenty of time for him to chase the wins at Indianapolis and Le Mans,” says Jacques Villeneuve, who ran out of time himself.  Alonso, still just 35, knows he has a few years ahead of him yet. “I don’t know when I’m going to race at Le Mans, but one day I intend to. I’ve got plenty of time,” he has stated on several occasions recently.

His unsuccessful assault on the Brickyard last Sunday has not put him off and, if anything, it has made him even more determined to triumph at the two iconic races in the future.