Although Fernando Alonso didn’t win the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, he most likely won himself some new fans stateside.
Alonso’s maiden Indy 500 ended in the same way as many of his Formula One races when his Honda engine blew with just over 20 laps remaining. Despite the disappointing end, the Spanish driver apparently hadn’t lost his sense of humor.
Just before he and McLaren CEO Zak Brown walked away at the end of his post-race press conference, Alonso thanked members of the United States media by giving them a photo-op they’ve been waiting almost a month for. Well, more or less.
Alonso has a lot to be proud of after his Indy 500 debut. He not only successfully proved he can compete with the best oval racers in the world, but also exposed many American race fans to a series that’s fairly foreign to them.
In adjusting from the hyper-private F1 paddock to the extremely media-friendly world of IndyCar, Alonso highlighted the personalities his sport has to offer. As a result, there might be even more people in Austin, Texas, to see him than he expects.
