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Jenson Button has called on Fernando Alonso to mount another assault on the Indianapolis 500, arguing his former teammate has a genuine chance to become only the second driver in history to complete motorsport's Triple Crown. The 2009 world champion, now an Aston Martin ambassador, believes Alonso's existing victories at Monaco and Le Mans leave him uniquely positioned to claim the prize that has eluded Graham Hill's sole achievement since 1972. Button's intervention underscores the unfinished business that still defines Alonso's legacy, despite his resurgence with Aston Martin in recent seasons.
Alonso has won the Monaco Grand Prix twice, in 2006 and 2007, and claimed overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Toyota in 2018 and 2019. Indianapolis, however, has proven stubbornly elusive across three attempts. He led for 27 laps on his 2017 debut before an engine failure ended his run, qualified a lowly 26th in a chaotic 2019 campaign, and retired from the 2020 race after contact with the wall. Each attempt has been met with either mechanical misfortune or qualifying struggles, leaving the final piece of the puzzle incomplete.
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Button's confidence in Alonso's ability
Writing in his column for Aston Martin, Button framed Alonso as the overwhelming favourite among active drivers to complete the Triple Crown. "Fernando probably has the best chance of anyone to achieve the Triple Crown, because he has already won Monaco and Le Mans and he was close at Indy, having led the race," Button said. "If he wants to try again, he absolutely has a chance."
Button's endorsement carries weight. The pair were teammates at McLaren-Honda from 2015 to 2017, a period of chronic underperformance that nonetheless offered Button a close view of Alonso's racecraft. Button was candid about the gap between them. "Honestly, he was a class above," Button admitted. "I was proud of my race ability coming through GP2 and I thought I was decent, but racing against him, I got schooled a few times."
Ferrari years defined Alonso's brilliance
Button reserved particular praise for Alonso's Ferrari tenure between 2010 and 2014, a period in which the Spaniard came agonisingly close to a third world title but never quite secured the machinery to match his talent. He singled out 2012, when Alonso took an uncompetitive Ferrari to within three points of Sebastian Vettel's championship-winning Red Bull, as the pinnacle of the 44-year-old's career.
"Fernando in his Ferrari years comes closest to perfection for me, especially in 2012 when he nearly won the title," Button wrote. "I thought, 'He ticks all the boxes,' including consistency. During that period at Ferrari, he was the epitome of a brilliant, versatile Formula 1 driver."
Button also highlighted Alonso's tactical prescience, a quality that has defined his racecraft throughout two decades at the top level. "It's as if he can sometimes see the future," Button said. "He has such good insight into race tactics that he'll say, 'I'm going to brake here; if you brake later than me, fine, but then you won't make it out of the corner, so I'll position myself here, and that's how I'll come out of the corner first.'"
Unfinished business in Indianapolis
Alonso's most recent F1 victory came at the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, over a decade ago. While he has since enjoyed success in endurance racing and sporadic IndyCar outings, the Triple Crown remains the unfinished chapter. Button's public backing may add fresh momentum to speculation that Alonso could make a fourth attempt at Indianapolis, though no formal plans have been announced. Whether the Spaniard can balance a full-time F1 programme with another tilt at the Brickyard remains an open question, but Button's assessment makes clear the opportunity still exists
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