Despite blowup, Alonso hits the mark at Indy

His race ended like so many others have the past couple years – prematurely with smoke trailing from his broken Honda engine. But there was nothing ordinary or routine about what Fernando Alonso did this month at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The two-time Formula 1 champion's initial run at the Indianapolis 500 was smooth, fast, impressive and wildly popular as he confirmed that he's not only one of the greatest drivers of the past several decades but he's also one of savviest.

He stepped out of his comfort zone and into the mayhem of oval-track racing at 220 mph with amazing aplomb.

"I know that I can be as quick as anyone in an F1 car but I didn't know if I could be as quick as anyone in an Indy car," said Alonso after starting fifth, leading 27 laps and handling traffic like a 10-year veteran before blowing up with 21 laps left while running sixth. "I came here basically to prove and challenge myself and the last two weeks have been a great experience."

Despite many of his fellow F1 drivers questioning his sanity for passing up Monaco to try Indy, Alonso welcomed a change of scenery. It's been four years since he won an F1 race because (Ferrari in 2014) and McLaren-Honda have given him dogs to drive. So from the first day he turned a wheel at IMS (May 3) to his splendid qualifying run to mixing it up for the better part of three hours on Sunday, he was back in his competitive element.

"It was nice to have this competitive feeling, even leading the Indy 500," said the 35-year-old Spaniard, who made several nifty passes during the afternoon. "I was passing and watching the tower and saw 29 on the top of it. I was thinking at that moment if Zak (Brown, McLaren boss) or someone from the team was taking a picture, because I wanted to take that picture home."

After his McLaren-Andretti Honda coasted to a stop, Alonso got out and walked back to his pits amid a massive roar from the grandstands. It was cool to hear because the U.S. fans obviously got it and understood they'd just witnessed a command performance from a true racer.

"I want to thank IndyCar, Michael (Andretti), my teammates and Zak for this incredible experience," he said. "And thanks to Indianapolis and to the fans – I felt at home. I'm not American but I really felt proud to race here."

An Indy rookie in title only, Fernando is a free agent at the end of 2017 and he's said on a couple of occasions that he is an F1 driver who also wants to win Le Mans and Indianapolis but he'll be exploring his options for 2018 and beyond. Does he envision a return trip to IMS?

"If I come back here at least I know how everything is and it will not be the first time I do restarts, pit stops and all these kinds of things," he replied. "So it will be easier, let's say, adaptation. Let's see what happens in the following years.

"But I need to keep pursuing this challenge, because winning the Indy 500 is not completed."