Alonso confident of mounting a challenge in the Indy 500 despite poor qualifying
Alonso confident of mounting a challenge in the Indy 500 despite poor qualifying
Fernando Alonso qualified 26th of 33 drivers for the 2020 Indianapolis 500 but the Spaniard remains confident he can hit the front on Sunday.
Alonso showed strong early pace during the delayed 'Month of May' event, but a crash on day two of practice slowed his progress considerably. This fact is clear for all to see with his disappointing qualifying performance.
The Spaniard ended final practice on Friday 23rd fastest but when asked by NBC is he was confident the car had the pace to make its way to the front of the order, he replied "Yes."
Continuing, Alonso added: “It was the last opportunity to test the last few items we had on our list. Some of them were OK, and some of them we will not be keeping for the race.
"Now we have a more or less clear idea of what we want.
"Sunday is a completely different thing, and it’s supposed to be a bit hotter, so we will try to adapt to the conditions. There’s nothing more to test on the table, so it’s race time.”
In IndyCar, there are two engine suppliers - Honda and Chevrolet. While Chevrolet has taken victory in the past two runnings of the Indy500, Honda has been on top so far this time around.
Speaking to Autoweek, Alonso admitted: "It’s difficult to judge from the outside, how different engine power outputs really are.
"It seems that on Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday’s practice, there’s a mix of cars [at the front] and there’s not a big difference in race pace, and the last two years Chevy won.
"I think we should be okay. There are no concerns."
Explaining the lack of pace in qualifying, the Spaniard said: "This year, [drivers could run] higher boost for qualifying, maybe there were a few things missing, but it’s difficult to know from the outside."
Possibly reflecting his comments, Alonso's Arrow McLaren SP team-mate Pato O'Ward set the fastest time in final practice.
Before you go...
Kerbs "absolutely fit for use" despite Gelael F2 accident - Masi
Hamilton: Congested season "a real challenge"
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Hamilton hints at sensational Newey arrival at Ferrari
- 55 minutes ago
Suspended Red Bull employee 'grilled' as Horner saga given potential END DATE
- 1 hour ago
BLOW for former F1 champion as Mercedes preferences revealed
- 2 hours ago
F1 boss HITS BACK at star driver over schedule complaints
- 3 hours ago
F1 2025 Driver Lineup: Big names on the move as half the grid reshuffles for next season
- Today 17:00
F1 champion claims Drive to Survive success was 'very lucky'
- Today 13:59
Related news
Alonso and Taylor Swift rumours reignited by new album lyric
F1 star PENALISED following controversial Chinese GP incident
Alonso hints at F1 retirement date after historic contract
Alonso takes CHEEKY dig at Hamilton after signing F1 contract
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860