Alesi ready for 200th Grand Prix start

Only Riccardo Patrese, Gerhard Berger, Andrea De Cesaris and Nelson Piquet have started more Formula 1 races, and the French-Sicillian says his F1 career has been a whirlwind experience.

"The last twelve years have gone so quickly, but I feel an incredible sense of achievement to have made it to my 200th Grand Prix," said Alesi. "There are so many things that have happened over this time, making it impossible to sum up my Formula 1 memories in just a few words - a book wouldn't be enough!

"I think about how many times I have lined up on the grid, how many people I have met and the amazing times I have experienced. But mostly, I am so thankful that I have remained safe during my career as I have unfortunately witnessed some very sad accidents on the track."

Alesi, who has only won one Grand Prix in his career, has targeted a top three finish to mark his milestone start.

"It would be my dream to be on the podium for this race," he said. "Indianapolis is a great place to celebrate my 200th Grand Prix as it's such a fantastic motorsport name steeped in racing history. With the recent events in the United States however, a real celebration for my 200th GP race is relatively unimportant as nobody feels like celebrating. America is keen to welcome F1 though, so I am looking forward to Indianapolis where we hope to have a great race and bring enjoyment to our American fans.

"Racing at Indianapolis is a great experience," he added. "You're racing on such a historic circuit in front of 200,000 fans who pack out the grandstands. The track is quite complex with the very long and fast straight, followed by the infield, which is quite slow and twisty, so it's a challenge to find an ideal set-up. I'm hoping for an incident-free race as I would like to make it to the finish at Indianapolis."