Fernando Alonso won't get help from team-mates in Indy 500
Ryan Hunter-Reay, winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 2014, says the close co-operation Fernando Alonso has had from his Andretti Autosport team-mates will end when the race starts
Alonso and his five team-mates - Hunter-Reay, Takuma Sato, Marco Andretti, Alexander Rossi and Jack Harvey - are working closely together to accelerate the Spaniard's progress along the learning curve through the build-up to the race on May 28.
But come the start of the Indianapolis 500, the drivers will be racing for themselves.
"In the race, we won't be helping each other," said Hunter-Reay.
"Obviously, you don't take team-mates out, you don't cut across the nose of a team-mate at the end of a straight when he needs the clean air for turning.
"We'll take care of each other to that extent, but we won't be actually helping team-mates out, no.
"But until then, it's a situation where we all have to keep working together.
"The flow of information between us all does not get shut off at any other point."
Hunter-Reay added that the Andretti team will work to get the baseline setup strong, then fine-tine it for the individual drivers.
"For now, we're basically trying to get a car that does everything right, getting that base format of a strong car for all six of us," said Hunter-Reay.
"From there, we'll each make adjustments to the car for different driving styles, pulling away from that basic setup.
"But although we'll be going our different ways for qualifying in terms of trim levels, the 'working together' aspect of all the drivers on this team never stops."
Alonso has benefited not only from working with his five team-mates off-track, but has also completed traffic simulation runs with them.
But he understands that things will change come race day, as Huntery-Reay has warned.
"You learn, you try to pass, you feel how the car handles behind another car, how close you can be to the other car in the corners," said Alonso of that experience.
"But when you arrive to the race day, it's going to be different.
"They are not friends anymore."
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