Alonso to miss Monaco, race in Indy 500

By +Frank B.,
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+Frank B.
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Alonso to miss Monaco, race in Indy 500

 

McLaren have announced that Fernando Alonso will miss this year’s race in Monaco, and will instead race in the Indianapolis 500 which takes place on the same day.

 

The 35-year-old Spaniard will race a McLaren-entered, Honda-powered car in the legendary IndyCar oval race, prepared by former McLaren driver Michael Andretti’s crack Andretti Autosport team - winners of the race last year with former F1 driver Alexander Rossi.

 

McLaren say that they will confirm the identity of the driver who will race Alonso’s car in Monaco in due course, though the natural favourite would be Jenson Button, who remains under contract to the team.

 

“I’m immensely excited that I’ll be racing in this year’s Indy 500, with McLaren, Honda and Andretti Autosport,” said Alonso, whose participation will mark the first time the Woking-based team have entered the event in 38 years.

 

“The Indy 500 is one of the most famous races on the global motorsport calendar, rivalled only by the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Monaco Grand Prix [which Fernando has won twice, one of those victories at the wheel of a McLaren (in 2007)], and it’s of course a regret of mine that I won’t be able to race at Monaco this year. But Monaco will be the only 2017 Grand Prix I’ll be missing, and I’ll be back in the cockpit of the McLaren-Honda MCL32 for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal in early June.

 

“I’ve never raced an IndyCar car before, and neither have I ever driven on a super-speedway, but I’m confident that I’ll get to grips with it fast. I’ve watched a lot of IndyCar action on TV and online, and it’s clear that great precision is required to race in close proximity with other cars on the far side of 220mph [354km/h].

 

"I realise I’ll be on a steep learning curve, but I’ll be flying to Indianapolis from Barcelona immediately after the Spanish Grand Prix, practising our McLaren-Honda-Andretti car at Indy from May 15th onwards, hopefully clocking up a large number of miles every day, and I know how good the Andretti Autosport guys are. I’ll be proud to race with them, and I intend to mine their knowledge and expertise for as much info as I possibly can.

 

"I’ve won the Monaco Grand Prix twice, and it’s one of my ambitions to win the Triple Crown [the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 and the Le Mans 24 Hours], which has been achieved by only one driver in the history of motorsport: Graham Hill. It’s a tough challenge, but I’m up for it. I don’t know when I’m going to race at Le Mans, but one day I intend to. I’m only 35: I’ve got plenty of time for that."

Source and full article: Formula1.com

 

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+Frank B.
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+Frank B.
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  • 1 month later...
CrashG
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Too bad the Honda engine still managed to let him down. He was running very well, esp considering he was a rookie.

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The Evil Overlord
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1 minute ago, CrashGordon said:

Too bad the Honda engine still managed to let him down. He was running very well, esp considering he was a rookie.

This bugs me a little for some reason... I get he's a rookie to the Indy Car series, but we are talking about a well established Driver and Double World Champion in F1 aren't we?

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but imho a Professional Racing Driver with 16+ years of experience (longer if taking in to consideration, his early life races) mostly with open wheel racing to me shouldn't be called 'rookie'

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CrashG
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Just now, The Evil Overlord said:

This bugs me a little for some reason... I get he's a rookie to the Indy Car series, but we are talking about a well established Driver and Double World Champion in F1 aren't we?

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but imho a Professional Racing Driver with 16+ years of experience (longer if taking in to consideration, his early life races) mostly with open wheel racing to me shouldn't be called 'rookie'

I know, don't shoot the messenger. lol

 

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The Evil Overlord
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Just now, CrashGordon said:

I know, don't shoot the messenger. lol

 

I apologise if I came across aggressively

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CrashG
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No worries man, I get what you're saying and I agree. It's not like its his first race ever, so how can he really be a rookie.

 

EDIT: I don't usually watch oval races (just not my thing), but only watched it because Alonso was running in it.

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