Alonso expects Ferrari, BMW challenge

The Spaniard, who is yet to finish higher than fifth at Indianapolis, began his weekend in perfect fashion, topping the times both in the morning and in the afternoon sessions.

Alonso, who trails teammate Lewis Hamilton by eight points after six races, underlined his determination to get back to the top on a track that has never treated him gently.

The two-time champion, whose team have been dominant in the last two races, believes they will face tougher competition this weekend.

"It's nice to be back in Indianapolis and so far things are looking promising," said the Spaniard. "As I have said before this track has never been kind to me, but I really want to do well this weekend.

"The car has been performing strongly at the last couple of races and today in practice, but I am sure that both Ferrari and BMW will be at the front as well.

"We completed our normal Friday practice programme looking at tyre evaluation and general set-up work. There is a lot of data to consider overnight, but so far things are looking good for the team."

Hamilton, who had never driven before at Indianapolis, quickly got to grips with the layout and ended the second session just 0.153 seconds slower than Alonso.

The 22-year-old Briton had a few brushes with the walls on his way to setting the third best time in the morning.

"As this was the first time I have ever driven at the Indianapolis track I spent some time just getting to know the circuit," said Hamilton. "The really tricky bit is the mid-section as it's very tight and twisty.

"We spent our time fine tuning the set-up and evaluating the two different tyre options provided by Bridgestone this weekend.

"In the first part of the second session I ran a little wide and did some minor damage to the aerodynamic fences which took a little time for the guys to repair.

"We have a pretty good idea of where we are going, and it looks like we should be competitive, but as always Friday is only the start of the weekend - there is a long way to go."