Alonso: And that’s why I’m racing at Indy…

As the build-up to Fernando Alonso’s Indianapolis 500 debut continues, the double F1 World Champion has made it clear that he’s racing at the Brickyard because he is a “racer.”

This season Alonso will skip Formula 1’s Monaco Grand Prix, instead focusing his attention on the 101st Indianapolis 500.

The McLaren driver, running a McLaren, Honda and Andretti-backed car, is bidding to win motor racing’s Triple Crown.

Alonso already has the Monaco GP win in bag, and is looking to add Indy before Le Mans down the line.

“And that’s why on May 28, on the biggest weekend in motor sports, I won’t be with my Formula 1 team at the Monaco Grand Prix. I’ll be in Indianapolis. Racing at the Brickyard. Because I need to be,” he wrote via the Players’ Tribune.

“The Indy 500 is one of the greatest events in the sport. Drivers all over the world know this. I belong there. Because I’m a racer.”

Swapping Formula 1 for IndyCars means a completely different experience for the Spaniard, both the racing and the general atmosphere.

“Here I am, a veteran driver, but it’s all brand new to me. The anthem, the circuit, the racing – I’m very thankful to experience it.

“I’m going to try and enjoy my time outside the car as much as I can. Because once race weekend comes around, it’s go time.”

But at the end of it all, he added: “I’m not coming for a ‘week off’ or to just have fun — I am a racer, I am coming to race.”