Fernando Alonso retires after brilliant debut race as Takuma Sato wins News

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Fernando Alonso retires after brilliant debut race as Takuma Sato wins

By Daily Sports on May 29, 2017

Fernando Alonso's bid to win the Indy 500 at his first attempt came to a disappointing end as engine failure robbed him of a strong finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The McLaren F1 driver skipped the Monaco Grand Prix to contest the iconic oval race and led for a total of 27 laps before his Andretti Autosport Honda retired on lap 179 of 200.

Ex-F1 driver Takuma Sato came through to win the 101st staging of the race, edging out three-time victor Helio Castroneves in a breathless conclusion.

"I felt the noise and the engine friction so I backed off," said Alonso. "It's a shame because I felt we deserved to finish and experience the last lap - who knows where we could have finished."

Sato, who raced in F1 between 2002 and 2008 before switching to the American series, took the lead on lap 195 before successfully fending off the challenge of veteran Brazilian Castroneves.

Fellow former F1 driver Max Chilton of Britain also had a superb race, leading for several laps before coming home in an eventual fourth place. Dubai-born British driver Ed Jones took an impressive third place on his Indy 500 debut.

The race was earlier overshadowed by an incident involving 2008 winner Scott Dixon, who emerged largely unscathed after crashing heavily on lap 53.

*Photo shows Fernando Alonso’s car crash at the Indy 500 on Sunday.

Source Daily Sports

Posted May 29, 2017