Fernando Alonso: McLaren driver to compete in Daytona 24-hour race

Fernando Alonso took part in this year's Indianapolis 500 and impressed on his debut

McLaren driver Fernando Alonso is to compete in the classic Daytona 24-hour sportscar race in January.

The Spaniard will be partnered by 17-year-old Briton Lando Norris, expected to be McLaren reserve in 2018, and regular sportscar driver Phil Hanson.

Alonso, 36, is targeting the race so he is as well prepared as possible for an eventual attempt on the more prestigious Le Mans 24-hour race.

It is not yet clear whether Alonso will be able to race at Le Mans next year.

Alonso has signed for at least one more year of Formula 1 with McLaren in 2018. The French event does not clash with a grand prix, but the team line-up is unknown for now as a result of the near-collapse of the leading LMP1 category following Porsche's withdrawal.

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Alonso, a two-time F1 world champion, has set his sights on winning motorsport's triple crown of the Monaco Grand Prix, Le Mans and the Indy 500. He raced at last year's Indy 500, running competitively and leading a number of laps before suffering an engine failure.

He will race at Daytona for the United Autosports team, owned by McLaren executive director Zak Brown.

Alonso described Daytona as "an exciting and interesting project", adding: "Learning about a completely new racing category, adapting to a different car and to another style of driving and everything that goes with it, is a new challenge for me.

"I can't wait to test myself again as a driver."

Talking at last weekend's United States Grand Prix about the idea of racing at Daytona, he said: "The triple crown is the main thing.

"The Indy 500 was a nice experience. I felt very competitive, but it was a big challenge I took from zero - no testing, no similar race before, no any other oval race.

"Maybe there are some other possibilities to prepare for Le Mans a little bit better than I prepared for the Indy 500."

Alonso has been hit with a 20-place grid penalty at this weekend's Mexican Grand Prix for using excessive numbers of engine parts this season. Team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne has a 35-place grid penalty.

A Honda spokeswoman said it "made sense to introduce new parts here for the remaining races", as McLaren are not expected to be strong in Mexico.