While everyone else is having a small break between the Russian and Spanish Grand Prix, McLaren driver Fernando Alonso was busy hurtling around the Indianapolis Speedway at over 220miles per hour!
As part of his training for the upcoming Indy 500 at the end of the month, Alonso took part in his first official test where he completed 110 laps with his fastest unofficial time being 221.721MPH which is 356.825KPH!
Unlike F1 where the car slows to go around corners, Alonso admitted that he was a little put off by the fact that he had to turn into corners at such high speed. Hopwever, by the end of his first test he was more than happy with the outcome.
"It was fun, it's a good way to start,” he said. “The team have been amazingly helpful."
“He gets it; he's one of the best in the world and you can see why,” team boss Michael Andretti told NBCSN. “He watched what he was doing with his line, he was changing it up lap after lap to get a feel. He had a little bit of understeer and he adjusted his line for the understeer, so, you know... he's the real deal. He was experimenting. One time I thought he was a little low but then the next lap he got it back up there a little bit, so it was good.”
Alonso did admit however that it was a little bit daunting at the start….
“At the beginning, to be honest, the right foot was having its own brain, its own power!” he told NBCSN. “It was not connected with my brain. So I wanted to be flat out but the right foot has its own life! Right now I'm more in control with my body and in control with the car so I'm able to be flat-out.”
