Paul Jeffrey
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As qualification begins at a stormy Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Fernando Alonso has booked his place in the 'Fast Nine' qualifying shootout and keeps alive the dream of a debut Indy 500 Pole Position.
With the initial exchanges over and each driver having completed their own four laps runs, it was left to veteran driver Ed Carpenter to stand atop of the timesheets at the close of first qualification on Saturday.
As qualification completes the top nine drivers of the session now move into todays 'Fast Nine' shootout and Alonso is understandably delighted to finish running in P7 yesterday, ending with an average lap of 230:034mph and securing himself a minimum top 9 position on the grid for the race itself.
Impressive as he was at Indy, the two time Formula One World Champion admitted he has more speed to come in the McLaren Honda Andretti car when the final pole position shootout begins today:
“The laps I could improve a bit, I was not extracting the maximum from the car,” said Alonso. “I keep learning. Tomorrow, I will use that lesson and be quicker.
“The team did a fantastic job to put me in a car that was able to run 230[mph laps], but there is still more to come. I didn’t maximize the potential of it in Laps 3 and 4.”
“The team did a fantastic job to put me in a car that was able to run 230[mph laps], but there is still more to come. I didn’t maximize the potential of it in Laps 3 and 4.”
Unfortunately the session was marred by an awful accident for former Grand Prix driver and multiple IndyCar champion Sebastian Bourdais in the Dale Coyne Racing entry, with the Indy 500 practice pace setting Frenchman reported to have suffered from "multiple fractures" to his pelvis and right hip. Bourdais is understood to have remained conscious throughout the extraction process and is undergoing surgery at the IU Health Methodist Hospital today
The fast nine qualification session will take place today (Sunday) following the final grid setting session for positions 10 - 33 which takes place early Sunday afternoon at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Fast Nine Indy 500 Qualifying Drivers
- Ed Carpenter - 230.468 mph
- Takuma Sato - 230.382 mph
- Scott Dixon - 230.333 mph
- JR Hildebrand - 230.205 mph
- Alexander Rossi - 230.148 mph
- Will Power - 230.072 mph
- Fernando Alonso - 230.034 mph
- Tony Kanaan - 230.007 mph
- Marco Andretti - 229.924 mph
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Looking forward to Indy 500 time? Who do you think will secure the pole? Are you impressed with Alonso's debut running so far? Let us know in the comments section below!
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