Alonso to compete in Indianapolis 500

[el chasco]

YEahhh!! Vamos Fernando!

 

[Jan Larsen]

^ what kedy89 said.

Also, forget about putting a young driver in for Monaco. That'd be like asking Stroll to floor it around Indy from lap 1, day 1...

 

[MustartMatters]

Wow, I really did not expect that news!
For me the question is now: Who replaces him during the Monaco weekend?

Jenson

 

[Brandon Wright]

Jenson

He'd better start his workout regime now. If Pascal had to miss two races because he wasn't in good enough shape for these new beastly cars imagine how hard a pensioner would have to work to get in shape!

 

[Aidan Keranen]

So he's guaranteed to miss Monaco, could jump on a plane straight away

 

[Karussell]

He'd better start his workout regime now. If Pascal had to miss two races because he wasn't in good enough shape for these new beastly cars imagine how hard a pensioner would have to work to get in shape!

Pascal wasn't ok because of his crash in the ROC and Jenson is currently running iromans so i don't think that the physical effort would be a big issue for him.

 

[Paul Glover]

 

[ThatRacingGuy]

Just opened up my phone in lunch break to see this pop up.

Wow

 

[Brandon Wright]

Pascal wasn't ok because of his crash in the ROC and Jenson is currently running iromans so i don't think that the physical effort would be a big issue for him.

Pascal's crash prevented him from starting his training regime that's needed to deal with these new brutal cars, he was several weeks behind on his training because he had to wait for his injury to recover and therefore not able to withstand a full race distance. I doubt doing ironman events does anything to prepare your neck muscles to deal with 6-8 Gs in the turns or under braking.

 

[Deleted member 6919]

I did have a dream Rosberg returned last night.

That's not a dream that's a nightmare..

 

[Nestoche]

WOW...Did not expect this. I guess McLaren/Honda needs some sort of attention the way things have been going on in F1 for them...This Indy 500 participation with Alonso will sure do it. I wish him the best and good luck. I hope it all goes well and I'll be watching for sure. I normally don't watch the Indy 500 race but this one will be special and I won't miss this one!...Hey, something to look forward to...lol

 

[Ghoults]

I doubt doing ironman events does anything to prepare your neck muscles to deal with 6-8 Gs in the turns or under braking.

Button is mclaren's reserve driver so he needs to be in shape and ready to jump in. Doing ironmans doesn't help his neck but would be surprising to hear button wasn't up for it.

 

[LeSunTzu]

That is quite a daring move by Alonso. Everybody will be looking at him and this is a difficult race for a complete oval-racing beginner, whatever his F1 WC titles. At least he will enjoy a race with a top-notch Honda engine, for a change.

 

[Karussell]

Pascal's crash prevented him from starting his training regime that's needed to deal with these new brutal cars, he was several weeks behind on his training because he had to wait for his injury to recover and therefore not able to withstand a full race distance. I doubt doing ironman events does anything to prepare your neck muscles to deal with 6-8 Gs in the turns or under braking.

Yes, these cars are more physical, but Jenson is an old school driver who knows how to deal with them and Monaco also is one of the GP in the calendar which demand less effort to the drivers, nothing compared to Malaysia e.g.
I think that probably Alonso will need a more specifically training to cope a 3h race turning in the same way (which is something completely new for him) than Button to compete in Monaco.

 

[Brandon Wright]

Button is mclaren's reserve driver so he needs to be in shape and ready to jump in. Doing ironmans doesn't help his neck but would be surprising to hear button wasn't up for it.

I'd love to see him in another race, but we'll see. If he does I think all the other drivers need to pit on the last lap and let him win.

 

[Lorenzo Bonder]

Well at least Honda can't screw this one up, CAN'T THEY!?

 

[Brandon Wright]

Well at least Honda can't screw this one up, CAN'T THEY!?

They're two for two in the IndyCar season so far!

 

[Cristian Haba]

It's a good move for him. Gives more of a spotlight to his name, and I really think he will have one last go in F1 before he hangs it up.

IMO, as a racer he has no equals on the grid. With a title contending car he would be neck in neck with Vettel/Hamilton with zero doubt. I have massive respect for him, he's the racer that basically retired der Kaiser. He's basically had half a shot since his Renault days. Also he's become a real gentleman of the sport, his fun quips on the radio really highlight just how bad things must be... don't know what else to say.

McLaren needs to wake up, Honda power is not what it used to be and their names are being dragged through the mud now. Radical change is needed.

 

[Marc Collins]

Ovals are a lot harder than they look. And dangerous. If anyone can adapt quickly, it would be Alonso, but he may not realize what he's getting himself into....or he likely does, but he's that desperate.

 

[Andrew Harper]

Turkey possibly coming back, Alonso to drive Indy 500...I really had to check it wasn't April the 1st again for a second....

Not because Fernando's doing this but it's very unusual for a current F1 driver to do a race during season commitments and miss a race. I honestly think if Ron had still been in charge he never would have allowed it.

Monaco is the crown jewel in the F1 calendar and it's when the teams really flex their marketing muscles so for McLaren Honda to be missing their number one driver is really surprising on such an important weekend business wise.

However I'm really happy for him that he's got the chance to do this and wish him all the best. His biggest danger is probably getting mixed up in someone else's accident which can take out the best drivers in the field.

The cars are considerably safer than in the CART days and the SAFER barriers are a big plus and have certainly saved lives in the last few years.

Thinking about it, with the new owners I wonder if they'll re-organise F1 calendar going forward. It was no secret that Bernie used to deliberately clash the F1 calendar with the 500 and Le Mans.