McLaren’s Fernando Alonso says he isn’t afraid of racing around Indianapolis’ 2.5-mile Speedway despite the perils which threaten novice drivers at the Brickyard.
The Spaniard will miss next month’s Monaco Grand Prix and tackle the Indy 500 with an Andretti Autosports-run entry from McLaren.
Speaking yesterday in Bahrain, Alonso is fully aware of what he’s getting in to and the contrasting differences between driving an F1 car and racing an Indycar on a Super Speedway oval.
“It’s very exciting, very challenging as well, because we know I’m not ready – now – if the race was tomorrow,” he admitted.
“I have a lot of things to learn in a very short period of time. It’s so challenging but it’s very exciting as well.
“It is definitely a completely different skills that you need, different driving technique that I’ll have to adapt myself. And in the middle of this period there is three Formula 1 Grands Prix. So let’s see.
“The average speed is very, very high, close to the wall, a lot of slipstreaming with different cars around. [All] things I’ll have to get used to.
“But I’m not afraid of the challenge.”
Check out the video below for Alonso’s comments on his trip to Indy.
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