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Fernando Alonso’s Day At The 500

Fernando Alonso walks back to the pits following an engine failure late in the Indianapolis 500. [Andy Clary Photo]

Fernando Alonso walks back to the pits following an engine failure late in the Indianapolis 500. [Andy Clary Photo]

by Paul Gohde

It wasn’t exactly your typical Formula One day at the races for Fernando Alonso. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t exactly a typical week for him either.

There was a public and a private driver’s meeting, a public autograph session, a downtown parade, sponsor meet-and greets and a Carb Day final practice for race cars that haven’t had carburetors in many years; and race day was still some ways away.

An early morning wake-up call (“6:00 am?”, he mocked when Alexander Rossi mentioned it to him) greeted the two-time F1 champ on race morning along with a driver’s parade around the track, a TV driver’s introduction and a pre-race grid more crowded than any street in Barcelona.

Starting fifth, Alonso was as steady as any veteran driver in the field as he put all of the pre-race hoopla out of his mind and settled down to drive. “I know I can be as quick as any F1 driver, but I came here to see if I’m as quick as the IndyCar drivers,” he noted, “and I did run up front which felt good. I came here to challenge myself.” He led 27 laps before dropping out with engine trouble that many feared would menace Honda teams. At one time in the race the top three drivers (Alonso, Rossi and the eventual winner Takuma Sato all came to Indy with Formula One experience).

Alonso stayed in the top 10, and often in the top five, for most of the race, and didn’t back down when challenged in wheel-to wheel dueling with more experienced oval track drivers. “The race was trouble free and the yellow flags didn’t really break any momentum we had. We were in the mix despite the yellows,” said a satisfied Alonso, who also felt he could have won given better circumstances. “It was nice to be leading, but it was certainly disappointing not to finish the race; I wanted to compete till the end.”

One difference he noted between being part of the Andretti Autosport team and his experience with F1 teams was sharing information. “It was a great experience being here the past two weeks, with the team, the track and the fans. Takuma was a great help coming here to race from Formula One.”

Zak Brown, now a principal with Alonso’s McLaren F1 team, also had much to do with getting the deal together for Fernando to come here and race with Michael Andretti’s team. “Not many race drivers are brave enough to do what Fernando did today,” Brown said. “He hadn’t put a wheel wrong all month. Today he delivered the goods.”

And true to the accommodating nature that he displayed here at Indianapolis the past weeks, Alonso stayed at the track after dropping out and came up to the media center after the checkered flag to answer several questions. He also had nice things to say about his experience in the U.S. “It was nice to come here,” he said, noting that he has also been in Austin, Texas for the U.S. Grand Prix. “I’m not American of course, but I’m proud to be here. This was an amazing experience. I hope to come back. Now I know how it is to be here with testing, pit stops and like that. I keep it a personal challenge and that’s not complete.”

He did acknowledge that he saw and heard the crowd not only pulling for him all month, but that they cheered and let him know they appreciated his effort today. “To be here is not possible to compare with F1.”

And to leave everyone with a smile, he pulled out a pint of milk when the press conference ended and chugged it down, mimicking what the winner Sato was doing in victory lane at that moment… typical Alonso humor. “I didn’t win, but I will drink a little bit of milk. Thanks for the welcoming. See you in Austin.”

Hope we see him back in Indianapolis soon, too.

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