Indy 500 Open for F1 Drivers After Monaco GP Date Shift

The Indianapolis 500 and Monaco Grand Prix, two of the three races in the “Triple Crown of Motorsport,” will no longer be on the same weekend.

Formula One announced a six-year deal with the Automobile Club of Monaco to keep the iconic Monaco race on the calendar until 2031—though the GP will move to a June weekend starting in 2026. The race was previously held in May, the same day as the Indy 500, which takes place during Memorial Day weekend.

While it’s unclear whether F1 will put a different race on Memorial Day weekend, a potential free weekend during the Indy 500 opens the door for active F1 drivers to take part in the iconic race.

Formula One did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Setting the Precedence

It may be unlikely that an active F1 driver pushes to race the Indy 500 given the 24-race schedule that F1 instituted this year. However, it has been done recently—and by a driver still on the grid.

The last active F1 driver to race the Indy 500 was Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, back when he was still with McLaren, which also has an IndyCar team. Alonso infamously decided to skip the Monaco GP in 2017 to attempt the Indy 500. He placed 24th, but he didn’t finish the race due to an engine failure in lap 179 out of 200.

Alonso is the only active driver on the F1 grid to have participated in the Indy 500. He has yet to win the annual race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and it’s the only race of the “Triple Crown of Motorsport” that he has yet to win. Alonso has won both the Monaco Grand Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice.

However, the two-time Formula One drivers’ champion said in 2020—after racing at the Indy 500 during a sabbatical from F1—that winning the Indy 500 is “less of a goal.”

“There is the danger factor,” Alonso said. “In the Indy 500, there are a couple of big crashes every year. Now I am fully focused on F1. And when I stop F1, I don’t know if I will be tempted to try again. … It is not a complete no, but I would say it is less of a project.”