Opinion: Is it third time Lucky for Alonso at Indy?

In February, it was announced Fernando Alonso will make his third appearance at the Indianapolis 500 behind the wheel of one of the Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet cars, in an attempt to finally finish the coveted triple crown.

Alonso’s car #66 will make its debut for the first time at the Indy 500 open test on the 30th April, and he will be engineered by Arrow McLaren SP’s fulltime research and development engineer, Craig Hampson. Alonso will team up with fulltime Arrow McLaren drivers Patricio O’Ward and Oliver Askew.

Alonso stated: “I am a racer and the Indy 500 is the greatest oval race in the world. The hundreds of thousands of fans make it so special for us drivers and always make me want to come back.”

“It was important for me to explore all of my options for this race but Arrow McLaren SP was always the top pick. I have a special relationship with the team and we have been through a lot together, creating a strong sense of loyalty for the team.”

“I am more than impressed with how the new partnership between Arrow McLaren and Chevrolet. The Chevrolet team is experienced, and well-qualified people with exceptional resources, and I’m certain we will be competitive right out of the block.”

Team co-owner Sam Schmidt said “Adding Fernando to the team adds a level of experience that will benefit our two young guns in Pato and Oliver. We tend to have fast cars at ovals and believe that he [Fernando] has the talent to fight for the victory, not just participate.”

“Combine that with Chevrolet powering our cars and we have a trio of drivers that are one of the strongest in the field.”

It was not just expected, but a requirement that should Alonso return to Indy, it had to be in a Chevrolet powered car, due to his tenuous relationship with Honda. The Japanese manufacturer refused to work with him again, cutting his Indy options in half.

Zak Brown the CEO of McLaren Racing said: “We have always said we are open to running Fernando in a third car for the Indy 500 and we are delighted he has decided to join us this year. Having Fernando as part of the team is a fine way to contest our first 500 as Arrow McLaren SP and to have Ruoff Mortgage, winners of the Indy 500 with Takuma Sato in 2017, pairing up with Fernando is a perfect partnership.”

Since 2017, Alonso has been chasing the elusive ‘Triple Crown’ of winning the Monaco Grand Prix, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and winning the Indianapolis 500. The Spaniard won the F1 Monaco GP in 2006 for Renault Sport F1 and again in 2007 with McLaren. He later won the 24 Hours Of Le Mans in 2018 with Toyota Gazoo Racing, although Fernando is still yet to win the Indy 500 with his best attempt being in 2017 during his first appearance by leading 27 laps until his engine blew on Lap 180 of 200.

However, last year we saw Fernando make his second attempt at the Indy 500 with McLaren. The attempt infamously ended with Alonso failing to qualify for the race itself with the team admitting it was ill-prepared for the challenge of the Indy 500.

Alonso will return to Indianapolis at the end of April for the open test and be seen competing during the infamous Indycar ‘Month Of May’.

What is less clear are his chances of victory.

Alonso’s best attempt came in 2017 when he was racing for the Andretti Autosport team with McLaren backing. While Woking well-wishing remains, Alonso now has the support of the former Schmidt Peterson Motorsports outfit, rather than one of the series most successful teams. Working with a non-optimal car is nothing strange for the Spaniard, who helped an underperforming Ferrari battle Sebastian Vettel for three world championships, but the gap between Arrow and the front-runners is far more significant. The team has recorded just two wins since the start of 2016, both thanks to James Hinchcliffe.

The other hurdle facing Fernando is time in the car. The Spaniard will have as much time as any driver during the Month of May, but so far has only hinted he’ll do further rounds. Surely a full season, or a few races are required to build him up for this event. Late deals mean this isn’t an option and with many top drivers at A.J. Foyt Enterprises and Team Penske locked into multi-year contracts, a move to a top team will not be easy.

Of course in future years Alonso could wait it out at Arrow McLaren SP, but there’s no guarantee performances will improve. With Patricio O’Ward and Oliver Askew the team brings exciting youth, but hardly the experience to help mould the car on a technical level.

Should Alonso fail again then his biggest enemy becomes time.

While he can take solace in the continued racecraft of 44-year-old Hélio Castroneves, even the Brazilian has only finished on the podium once since turning 40. The 38-year-old Alonso may need to find some luck sooner rather than later.