With just under an hour to go during Thursday’s practice session, Alonso dipped his front wheel slightly too far beyond the white line on the inside of Turn 4. He clipped the kerb, which was enough to unsettle the car slightly, put Alonso off-line, and cause him to brush the wall on the exit.
In Indianapolis terms, it wasn’t the biggest impact in the world, but it was enough to cause his car to spin into the pit lane, thankfully coming to rest before it reached the pit stalls.
As you’d expect, Alonso was unfazed, saying “hopefully it [just] happens today and not on Sunday the 23rd [race day]” after being cleared from the medical centre.
Crash aside, his early pace has been strong. He ended up fifth on day one of practice and eighth on day two, on both occasions quicker than his two McLaren Arrows SP teammates, Oliver Askew and Pato O’Ward. Friday sees a further practice session – this time with the turbo boost cranked right up – which should give a strong indication of pace ahead of the qualifying sessions on Saturday and Sunday.
