It is impressive, but this is Fernando Alonso, after all. He's one of the very best drivers in the world, and he has a lot of experience.
It is impressive, but this is Fernando Alonso, after all. He's one of the very best drivers in the world, and he has a lot of experience.
Jerry From LA wrote: Add to that running 230-plus down the front straight into what looks like a solid wall of people.
Most people don't realize this part. I grew up very close to IMS. I've been there dozens of times in my life for races, field trips, car shows, even ran a foot race around the track, but you don't truly understand this until you're in a vehicle at triple digit speeds on the track.
I've been fortunate enough to take rides around the track in both a NASCAR and an Indycar well into triple digits, and for all but the final 15% of the front straightaway, it looks like a dead end alley. The straights at Indy are canyons 5/8ths of a mile long, with walls of stands on both sides and directly in front of you. The first turn stands only open up to reveal turn 1 in the last 1/8th mile or so. Nobody ever wants to run off track, but driving 230+ towards what looks like a wall of concrete and steel 5 stories tall is a really unique experience, even for accomplished racing drivers.
Alonso is conducting himself like the pro he is. It will be interesting to watch how he deals with traffic and .......passing.....something pretty unfamiliar to an F1 driver. 
Even with this pos McLaren, he paases regularly. Although mostly in the first few laps and until it inevitably breaks.
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