WEC bosses have agreed to move forward the date of this year's Fuji 6 Hours and enable Fernando Alonso to compete in every race in the 'superseason' over the next two years.

Of the five events to take place in 2018, the race in Japan was the only round which clashed with a Formula 1 Grand Prix, with the Spaniard's duties with McLaren taking prevalence, and would have meant missing the home race of Toyota, with whom Alonso is racing.

Now that is no longer the case, however, with the event at Fuji Speedway taking place on October 14 as opposed to 21, but will likely draw the ire of many WEC drivers who had committed to the Petit Le Mans at Road America that weekend.

As it is, the buzz the double F1 champion's additional racing activities has created is too much for the series to ignore though McLaren executive director Zak Brown insists driving will be all Fernando does.

"As far as commercial appearances, sponsor commitments, things of that nature, it is very minimised," he said in Woking this week.

"His relationship with Toyota - he is on loan from us. We came to an arrangement with Toyota and that is to allow him to race the car but not to travel the globe having commercial commitments.

"He is a McLaren driver first and foremost, and an F1 driver. When you think of Fernando, you think of him as a McLaren F1 driver first and foremost."

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A former teammate, Nelson Piquet Jr, has praised the 36-year-old's passion to expand well beyond just F1.

"Alonso has a strong character and he wants everything, he does not know how to share," the first Formula E champion told Spain's Marca newspaper. "Sometimes a great driver has to be like that and he is a great driver.

"Over 10 years ago he was champion but he is still one of the biggest stars of F1. I respect his willingness to race at Indianapolis, Daytona and Le Mans, which he does not for fame but because he likes to compete."

Organisers of the Fuji 6 Hours have asked to change their late October date after it emerged as the only round Fernando Alonso would have to skip due to a clash with Formula 1's United States Grand Prix.

After competing at the Daytona 24 Hours last weekend, on Tuesday the Spaniard confirmed he would be combining his F1 season with McLaren with a seat at Toyota in the WEC 'superseason' taking place over the next two years.

With the circuit owned by Toyota, clearly, the Japanese manufacturer is keen for their home race to not be the only event the double world champion misses but is facing several hurdles before anything is agreed.

A one week shift is unlikely as seven days later F1 is in Mexico and seven days prior the Super Formula finale takes place at Suzuka while also disrupting other WEC drivers competing in the Petit Le Mans at Road America.

The final decision would also need to come from the FIA, who ratified the official calendar and changed the original date for the reasons above last year.

Former Ferrari Formula 1 team principal Stefano Domenicali believes Fernando Alonso's appearances at the Indy 500 and now a WEC program is about proving he is "one of the best in the world".

Domenicali, who now works for another Italian brand, Lamborghini, was at the helm at the Scuderia for both of the Spaniard's near-title misses in 2010 and 2012 and ultimately oversaw what was considered a potential dream pairing of Alonso and Ferrari end in disappointment.

The double world champion would move on to McLaren in 2015, another chapter that has not had a happy ending and it is for that reason his former boss claims he has looked elsewhere.  

"Fernando is looking for challenges outside of F1 because his team is going through a difficult period," Domenicali told Italy's Corriere dello Sport. "He wants to demonstrate his skills, to prove that he remains one of the best in the world.

"Today at the top there are three drivers: Alonso, Hamilton and Vettel. The differences between them are minimal and depends on the cars they drive."

As the motorsport world continued to react to the news on Tuesday that the 36-year-old would be racing with Toyota in the WEC, the man himself was already behind the wheel of his LMP1 machine, taking part in a test day at Motorland Aragon in Spain.

This marked his second appearance with the Japanese manufacturer, after driving with them in Bahrain in December, and two more private tests are planned before the Prologue event at Paul Ricard in April.

Fernando Alonso will race in both Formula 1 and the WEC in 2018 after he, McLaren and Toyota came to an agreement it was announced on Tuesday.

The Spaniard, who completed his first endurance race over the weekend competing in the Rolex Daytona 24, had been expected to attempt the Le Mans 24 Hours in June, however, now he will compete in all but one of the WEC events as the Fuji 6 Hours clashes with the United States Grand Prix.

It also comes after Alonso made his first outing in an LMP1 Toyota at the rookie test in Bahrain late last year but commenting on the decision to let Alonso compete, executive director Zak Brown concedes it was only done on the pretence that McLaren and F1 came first.

"Like Fernando, at McLaren, we’re racers at heart and our team is built on a brave heritage of competing and succeeding in different forms of the sport," he said.

"Equally important is the confidence that nothing detracts from our number one goal of F1. After proper evaluation, we are satisfied that this campaign does not do that, and that McLaren’s best interests prevail."

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• Webber concerned Alonso "risks getting hurt" combining F1 and Le Mans
• Alonso sure third F1 title remains possible with McLaren

After seeing his debut in sportscars at Daytona blighted by a puncture and brake problems, the double F1 champion is aware of the scale of the challenge he faces but insists his goal is clear.

"I’ve never been shy about my aim of winning motorsport’s ‘Triple Crown’ – the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indy 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We tried for Indy last year, came close, but just missed out," he stated.

"This year, I have the chance thanks to McLaren to race for the win at Le Mans. It is a big challenge – much can go wrong – but I am ready, prepared and looking forward to the fight.

"My deal to race in WEC was only made possible through the good understanding and strong relationship I have with McLaren, and I’m very happy that they listened and understood what this means to me," he added.

"In no way will this challenge take away from my main target of F1 with McLaren. In 2018, my aim is to be competitive at every Grand Prix, and I feel sure that we are closer to achieving that."