Alonso crashes on 2nd day of Indy 500 practice
INDIANAPOLIS — McLaren’s highly anticipated return to the Indianapolis 500 got off to a brutal start Wednesday following Fernando Alonso’s crash on the second day of practice.
Alonso hit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway wall three times and heavily damaged the car McLaren built in its England factory when he lost control exiting the third turn as he followed Graham Rahal. His car smacked the wall, shot across the track, through the grass and into an interior wall, then went back across the track and into the wall again.
“I think it was just pure understeer that I didn’t expect,” Alonso said. “I was running a bit close to another car and suddenly midcorner I lost completely the front grip. I tried to lift off and avoid the wall. We worked quite a lot on the car and definitely now it’s quite damaged, so I feel sorry for the team and for my mistake.”
Here’s the moment @alo_oficial hit the wall during #Indy500 practice 😮
Fernando Alonso was checked, cleared and released from the @IMS infield medical center.#INDYCAR // #ThisIsMay pic.twitter.com/BPJX1c3ckk
McLaren spent most of opening day Tuesday battling electrical issues that forced the team to change both the alternator and wiring loom. Now McLaren has a damaged car and only two days until qualifying begins for the May 26 race. There are 36 entrants for the 33 spots in the field, and Alonso was 32nd on the speed chart after the first day.
Now, McLaren must decide if it will attempt to rebuild its car or use the backup built by technical partner Carlin.
Alonso, 37, a retired Formula One champion, is making his second appearance in the Indy 500 in his quest to win motorsports’ version of the Triple Crown. His entry this year is with McLaren, which is back at Indianapolis for the first time since the 1970s. It is an expected rehearsal for the team’s eventual full-time return to the IndyCar Series, but this year the goal is to help Alonso add Indy to a résumé that includes victories at Monaco and Le Mans.
Alonso ran Indy in 2017 for Andretti Autosport and stepped into a car capable of winning the race. He led laps and was a contender until his engine failed, bringing a halt to a nearly flawless month for the Spaniard at Indianapolis.
That Indy 500 was Alonso’s only race to date on an oval, and his wreck Wednesday raised questions as to how crash-tested he is after a career spent racing primarily on road and street courses. Alonso was in an F1 crash in Australia in 2016 in which his car flipped twice and he wound up sidelined for a race with fractured ribs and a collapsed lung.