Former F1 champion Fernando Alonso preparing for Indy 500

SAKHIR, BAHRAIN >> With a grin of excitement, Fernando Alonso explained how his crash course for the Indianapolis 500 will include watching old footage on flights between Formula One races.

The two-time F1 champion will compete in IndyCar for the first time next month, and skip the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix in order to do so.

That does not give the 35-yearold Spaniard much time. He has three F1 races for McLaren — in Bahrain, Russia and then Spain — before he makes his IndyCar debut on May 28 in Indianapolis.

“On the planes I will try and look at some videos and races from the last years. I’m not ready at the moment, but the next couple of weeks I’m confident I can adapt,” Alonso said Thursday at the Bahrain GP. “I’m not in my comfort zone driving those cars or thinking of those cars. But I’m not afraid of trying.”

Alonso’s motivation is part of a wider ambition that also includes the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race.

“If I want to win the triple crown I have to make the first step this year. It’s a win-win situation. It’s good for Formula One and this big market in North America we’ve been pursuing for many years,” Alonso said. “It’s good to go to America and showing this respect to IndyCar. Inside the McLaren team, to be racing at the same time in Monte Carlo and Indy 500 it’s an amazing thing.”

Alonso is still widely considered among the best drivers in F1, despite the fact he has not won the world title since 2006 and not even won a race since 2013. Insiders credit that to him not having a good enough car, rather than no longer having the skills.

Alonso, who has 32 grand prix victories, didn’t earn a point in the first two races of the 2017 season — in Australia and China — and McLaren is struggling to be competitive, just like last season. Despite his advancing age and the ongoing frustrations, Alonso still has a burning ambition to distinguish himself as one of the best drivers of all time.

“There were two options. The first is to win another six F1 titles, one more than Michael (Schumacher), and I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Alonso said, laughing. “The second one is to win different series in different years. That’s very challenging and very attractive.”

Alonso is not yet sure when he