The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Alonso sees shot to win in oval debut
F1 driver brings wider attention to Indy, and rivals don’t mind.
INDIANAPOLIS — It was opening day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Fernando Alonso chose a skateboard as his means of transportation through the paddock.
He essentially turned the hallowed Brickyard into his personal playground.
It has been all Alonso since the twotime Formula One champion announced last month he would skip the race in Monaco to run the Indianapolis 500 for the first time. His presence has drawn massive worldwide interest to the race and given Alonso a break from his depressing F1 season with McLaren.
“I think it’s a breath of fresh air for him,” said Zak Brown, a former Indianapolis-based sports marketer who’s executive director of the McLaren Technology Group. “He is enjoying it. He’s doing all of it. He wants to do it. He feels very welcomed by the IndyCar club.
“I think clearly he’s getting the most awareness right now. But he’s getting awareness not just for himself, but for Indianapolis, for IndyCar, for Formula One. I think it’s a good story. It’s a huge story. Might be the dominant story.”
Indeed, the run-up to the 101st Indy 500 has seen a full-fledged case of Alonso mania at the expense of many other aspects surrounding today’s race.
As a thick crowd of international reporters pushed toward the seat Alonso was expected to take during Thursday’s media day, driver Oriol Servia approached and jokingly asked if they were waiting for him. After all, for more than a decade, Servia was the only Spaniard in the Indy 500. Now he calls himself “the other Spaniard.”
When Servia was asked earlier this month about Alonso, 35, teammate Graham Rahal interrupted: “He’s the only guy racing here, isn’t he?”
No, 32 others are in the field. It just seems they have been overlooked.
Earlier Thursday, online betting site Bovada released its Indy 500 odds and listed Alonso as the 9-2 favorite. Threetime 500 winner Helio Castroneves? 12-1.
Alonso said being the betting favorite is “probably not” a fair expectation, and noted that the last time he did a rolling start was in a 1997 go-kart race. But he thinks he’s done everything possible to prepare for the race, and even spent time Thursday on a simulator.
“I know this is a race that everyone has a chance to win; this is an unpredictable race,” he said. “We all have a possibility. I think I have a lower chance than some of the big names because I am lacking that experience. But if I have a chance, I will go for it.
“I am prepared. I will try to compensate that lack of experience with good motivation, good racing speed and a lot of respect for everyone and a lot of respect for the race. If (fans) want to bet, and they put the money on myself, I will try to make them happy.”
Alonso has certainly thrilled IndyCar’s fan base, which has followed his every move. It wasn’t until 2008 winner Scott Dixon turned in the best qualifying effort in 21 years to win the pole that the spotlight briefly shifted to someone else.
Dixon doesn’t feel snubbed. He considers Alonso a legitimate contender because he’s racing with Andretti Autosport — winner of this race last year with rookie Alexander Rossi — and because “the caliber of driver he is, it seems like he’s definitely soaking it in.”
“We have one superstar who has come from Formula One to race here, so it’s a big deal,” said Tony Kanaan, a 20-year IndyCar veteran who won the 2013 Indy 500. “It’s the best race in the world. He’s caught a lot of attention. He does have a chance, but I can name three or four other guys that I would put my money on this weekend.”