They say there are two types of drivers at Indianapolis, those who have hit the wall and those who will hit the wall. Fernando Alonso now belongs to the former group.

The McLaren driver, who was deprived of running on Tuesday because of an electrical issue, was hoping to make up some lost ground in practice today.

Unfortunately, the Spaniard lost grip on the entry to Turn 3 while he was running directly behind Rahal Letterman Lanigan's Graham Rahal.

The papaya McLaren hit the outside SAFER barrier and then took off and hit the inside wall before crossing across once again for a third impact.

Alonso was thus the first driver to crash this week at Indy, but fortunately the 37-year-old emerged unscathed form his heavily damaged car.

"Mistake from my side underestimating the grip in T3 today," Alonso said in apost on Instagram.

"I’m sorry for the team and the guys that have to work a lot now. 💙 Lesson learned. 🙏 . We will be back stronger later today or tomorrow."

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Ben Sulayem eyes another controversial FIA rule change

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is reportedly seeking to dismantle another longstanding safeguard governing the…

34 minutes ago

Cadillac explains why Perez deserved new long-term deal

Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss has made clear that Sergio Perez’s value to the American…

17 hours ago

A champion's welcome: Antonelli honoured by Italian president

Formula 1 world champion Kimi Antonelli received a particularly special welcome home this week, with…

18 hours ago

Norris admits Hamilton has changed his outlook on F1 success

Lando Norris has revealed that Lewis Hamilton’s longevity and continued ability to compete at the…

20 hours ago

An F1 journeyman made of the right stuff

Former F1 driver Brett Lunger, born on this day in 1945, is pictured here hitching…

21 hours ago

Schumacher: Hamilton ‘not fast enough’ to have Ferrari n°1 status

Ralf Schumacher has once again questioned Lewis Hamilton's credentials at Ferrari, arguing that the seven-time…

22 hours ago