Washington—Two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso of Spain is excited about his chances at the Indianapolis 500 after Arrow McLaren unveiled his car Tuesday for the August 23 race.
Alonso seeks a victory at the famed 2.5-mile (4km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval to complete a Motorsport Triple Crown sweep that also includes wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Monaco Grand Prix races.
Only British racer Graham Hill has won all three. Alonso won at Le Mans in 2018 and 2019 and at Monaco in 2006 and 2007.
“We unveiled and I saw the car for the Indy 500. I love the car,” Alonso said in a social media video. “I think it’s going to look even better on track.”
Alonso, who turns 39 in July, led for 27 laps at Indy in 2017 before his engine failed with 21 laps remaining and he settled for 24th place.
Last year, Alonso failed to qualify for the 33-car field.
“I cannot wait to jump in the car again,” Alonso said.
The coronavirus pandemic forced postponement of the 104th edition of IndyCar’s namesake race from May 24.
“The Indy 500, it’s probably the biggest race in the world,” Alonso said. “Coming back there to race against all the drivers, they are an amazing talented field. Hopefully we’ll see some fans as well.”
Speedway officials said they plan to have spectators up to 50% of capacity in the facility’s approximately 250,000 seats.