Alonso hopes for change of luck at Indy

The McLaren driver has never finished higher than fifth at the United States Grand Prix but, after ending top of the timesheet in  Friday practice, he thinks his luck could well change this time out.

"I hope so," he said. "It has been a very difficult race in the past for me here. I have never been competitive at Indianapolis, with the car, the luck, whatever, myself, so to be P1 is a little bit of a surprise for me.

"I never was in the top at Indianapolis so I enjoyed a lot Friday. And if I can finish on the podium Sunday, it will be a fantastic surprise."

With McLaren having focused their work on Friday on understanding the tyres, Alonso believes there is plenty of room for improvement to come over the rest of the weekend.

"What we tried to understand is the tyres, both types of tyres, and how they work. I think the car will get better and better and everybody will do the same. Hopefully we will be on top."

Despite his confidence with the car, Alonso is expecting a strong challenge from Ferrari - who appear to have put the problems that blighted their weekends in Monaco and Montreal behind them.

"It will be close," said Alonso about the fight for pole position. "I think the Ferraris have improved from Canada. They're extremely quick and they will be strong tomorrow for qualifying and for the race, as well."