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WHEN Rubens Barrichello first heard that Fernando Alonso would pass up the Monaco Grand Prix to drive in next month’s Indianapolis 500 he thought it was a hoax. So did many others.
Barrichello, who tried IndyCar racing in 2012 after his own F1 career ran out of steam, is surprised (like other past and present drivers) that Alonso would forsake the plum Monaco race for the perils of Indy, which is just six weeks away.
Brown said he and Alonso spoke more about the idea at a photo shoot in the US after the opening race of the season. Then over the GP weekend in Shanghai, the half joke firmed up with specific detail.
Alonso’s frustration with McLaren has been very real – sometimes raw. He was forced to retire in three consecutive races whilst remarkably dragging the sluggish Honda-powered MCL32 into points positions in two of those GPs.
Alonso can’t win another world championship this year, and will struggle to get a podium result in F1. But he is a racer and Indy looms as a gettable target in his mind.
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Nigel Mansell made an excellent transition to IndyCar racing, departing F1 after winning his 1992 world title and then capturing the US series crown at his first attempt the following year.
Talking to Autosport, Barrichello said that based on his own experiences, Alonso should expect the unexpected in his new race experience at the Brickyard. He warned of the traffic and the turbulence.
The 2012 Indy 500 was Barrichello’s first oval race and he acquitted himself well, despite his lack of familiarity with the nuances of constantly turning left. He qualified 10th and finished 11th.
Reaction among drivers has been mixed. Daniel Ricciardo commented: “I would not want to miss Monaco. I think Fernando is missing a good one, but then again if you are not fighting at the front it probably would be a long race around there. So Indy…? I’d take Daytona 500 over Indy.
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“Indy kind of scares me actually!”
Alonso has just over six weeks until he lines up at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, during which time he will compete in three more races – including the just passed Bahrain Grand Prix. The Spaniard will fly from the third and final one of those races, the Spanish Grand Prix, straight to Indianapolis for two weeks of practice ahead of the race.
Alonso will be jamming in some IndyCar familiarisation between his F1 commitments. He will meet the team, have a seat fitting, do some time on the simulator and, between races in Russia and Spain, he’s hoping to include a private test. Then two week of practice and qualifying at the Brickyard.
Alonso says he’ll spend his waking hours of the flights look at old Indy 500 race videos.
Reserve driver Jenson Button will replace Alonso for the Monaco race but in an indictment of modern F1 will miss any chance of testing the 2017 McLaren before the race. McLaren team boss Eric Boullier says that Button spent 17 years in F1 and would be better instead to spend time driving a simulator than the actual 2017 car.
