Of the 33 drivers competing in this year's Indianapolis 500, the Spaniard Fernando Alonso has caused the most stir. A two-time Formula One World Driving Champion, big things are expected of him for his first time at Indy. So far, he hasn't disappointed. Driving for Andretti Autosport, he qualified at an impressive 231.300 mph to start fifth in Sunday's race, his first oval. IndyCar brought Alonso, 35, to New York for interviews. Following is what we got from him.
Jim Clash: Why skip Monaco this year and compete at Indy?
Fernando Alonso: The Indy 500, the 24 Hours of LeMans and that Formula 1 race are the biggest events in motor racing. Having an opportunity to experience this Indy 500, it was greater than racing in Monaco. Unfortunately, we don't have a competitive package where we can fight at the front [in Monaco], so we take this opportunity - we live this experience, we live the moment, and hopefully we enjoy it.
Clash: Compare qualifying at Indy to Formula One races.
Alonso: The format is different. Those four laps you are out on the track you have to put all of them together. I'm quite happy with the results. We had a small issue with the engine on Sunday morning. We had to change it, so it wasn't calibrated perfectly for the qualifying. So there was a little issue in one corner with overboost. Without that, we probably would have been on the first row of the grid. We were happily surprised about the performance this first week. We know qualifying is not the final thing about the Indy 500 - it's about the race - so we've done nothing yet. We need to put next Sunday everything we learned into the race.
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inRead invented by TeadsClash: How are your Andretti Autosport teammates treating you?
Alonso: Fantastic. Amazing team, amazing teammates. They're been really helpful, all of them. Marco [Andretti], Ryan [Hunter-Reay], with all the experience they have. Also Takuma [Sato] and Alexander [Rossi], because they came from Formula One. Then the advice from Michael [Andretti], our team boss. They all made me understand that the race is long - it's not like in Formula One where after the first corner the race is pretty much defined. Here, it's a vey long race. You need to stay calm, take the opportunity at the end. Also, you have to set up the car for traffic behind other cars because you won't be alone on the track Sunday, you will be in a group. So it's important to have the confidence there. Many things are different here, and Alexander was especially helpful. I have everything I could dream in terms of preparation and how I adapt to the Indy car and oval racing. Then you need to perform out there because you are alone on the track.
Clash: Anything people don't know about you?
Alonso: Not really. My life has been covered the last 15 years [laughs], so there are few things people don't know about me - nothing really important.
Clash: How do you get back in the car after a horrific crash like Sebastien Bordais' in qualifying Saturday?
Alonso: At the end of the day you understand this is motor sports. We are doing this because we love cars and we love racing. There is always this danger factor there. But there is that in everything we do in our everyday lives. So you close the visor. You don't feel any fear, any problem. You just want to be quicker and quicker.
Clash: Of your two F-1 championships in 2005 and 2006, which was most special?
Alonso: The first one was very special because you feel those kind of emotions. The second one was special as well, because we fought with Michael Schumacher until the last race. That added some value to the second championship. So for both of them I have great memories.
Clash: What would it mean to you to win the Indy 500?
Alonso: That would mean there is one race left - the 24 Hours of LeMans.
Jim Clash: Why skip Monaco this year and compete at Indy?
Fernando Alonso: The Indy 500, the 24 Hours of LeMans and that Formula 1 race are the biggest events in motor racing. Having an opportunity to experience this Indy 500, it was greater than racing in Monaco. Unfortunately, we don't have a competitive package where we can fight at the front [in Monaco], so we take this opportunity - we live this experience, we live the moment, and hopefully we enjoy it.
Clash: Compare qualifying at Indy to Formula One races.
Alonso: The format is different. Those four laps you are out on the track you have to put all of them together. I'm quite happy with the results. We had a small issue with the engine on Sunday morning. We had to change it, so it wasn't calibrated perfectly for the qualifying. So there was a little issue in one corner with overboost. Without that, we probably would have been on the first row of the grid. We were happily surprised about the performance this first week. We know qualifying is not the final thing about the Indy 500 - it's about the race - so we've done nothing yet. We need to put next Sunday everything we learned into the race.
ADVERTISING
inRead invented by TeadsClash: How are your Andretti Autosport teammates treating you?
Alonso: Fantastic. Amazing team, amazing teammates. They're been really helpful, all of them. Marco [Andretti], Ryan [Hunter-Reay], with all the experience they have. Also Takuma [Sato] and Alexander [Rossi], because they came from Formula One. Then the advice from Michael [Andretti], our team boss. They all made me understand that the race is long - it's not like in Formula One where after the first corner the race is pretty much defined. Here, it's a vey long race. You need to stay calm, take the opportunity at the end. Also, you have to set up the car for traffic behind other cars because you won't be alone on the track Sunday, you will be in a group. So it's important to have the confidence there. Many things are different here, and Alexander was especially helpful. I have everything I could dream in terms of preparation and how I adapt to the Indy car and oval racing. Then you need to perform out there because you are alone on the track.
Clash: Anything people don't know about you?
Alonso: Not really. My life has been covered the last 15 years [laughs], so there are few things people don't know about me - nothing really important.
Clash: How do you get back in the car after a horrific crash like Sebastien Bordais' in qualifying Saturday?
Alonso: At the end of the day you understand this is motor sports. We are doing this because we love cars and we love racing. There is always this danger factor there. But there is that in everything we do in our everyday lives. So you close the visor. You don't feel any fear, any problem. You just want to be quicker and quicker.
Clash: Of your two F-1 championships in 2005 and 2006, which was most special?
Alonso: The first one was very special because you feel those kind of emotions. The second one was special as well, because we fought with Michael Schumacher until the last race. That added some value to the second championship. So for both of them I have great memories.
Clash: What would it mean to you to win the Indy 500?
Alonso: That would mean there is one race left - the 24 Hours of LeMans.
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