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."
Windy Indianapolis 500 practice conditions made car tricky - Alonso
Alonso Indy 500 preparation to 'ramp up big time' - De Ferran
NASCAR bans Chastain Martinsville wall-ride manoeuvre
NASCAR has decided to ban the wall-ride manoeuvre made famous by Ross Chastain at Martinsville that secured him a place in the Championship 4.
Gasly: Mindset for Alpine is "completely different" to Red Bull F1 move
Pierre Gasly says he has a "completely different" mindset for his Alpine Formula 1 move thanks to lessons taken from his failed stint at Red Bull in 2019.
GTD Pro win a “proper send-off” for retiring IMSA stalwart MacNeil
Winning the GTD Pro class at the Daytona 24 Hours was a fitting way for Cooper MacNeil to retire from racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, says team-mate Jules Gounon.
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
Nigel Mansell’s greatest F1 and Indycar drives
It’s 30 years since Mansell won the Formula 1 world title and then headed off to do battle in America. Here are his best races – and the Briton’s memories of them
How Ericsson achieved Indy immortality as Ganassi's main man stumbled
Chip Ganassi Racing team was strong again in the Indianapolis 500, with poleman Scott Dixon and reigning champion Alex Palou leading almost three quarters of the race between them. But when dominator Dixon was penalised for pitlane speeding, ex-Formula 1 driver Marcus Ericsson stepped up to score the biggest win of his career and seize the IndyCar points lead
Ranking the top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2021
In an enthralling 2021 IndyCar campaign, the series bounced back from its COVID-19 truncated year prior and Alex Palou defeated both the established order and his fellow young guns to clinch a maiden title. It capped a remarkable season with plenty of standout performers
How F1's other IndyCar exile finally unlocked his potential
Romain Grosjean's swashbuckling rookie year in IndyCar captured the imagination of many in 2021. But another ex-Formula 1 driver whose potential was masked by five years of toil in, at best, middling machinery also enjoyed a breakout year in 2021 - winning twice and finishing sixth in points. Here's how Marcus Ericsson finally delivered on his promise
How Ganassi's relentless new champion outfoxed IndyCar's best
IndyCar sophomore Alex Palou stunned by overcoming team-mate Scott Dixon and the rest of a white-hot field in 2021. He was consistently fast and crucially showed a level head, rebounding well from setbacks to put himself in a near unassailable position entering the final round
Have Harvey and RLL formed IndyCar’s next winning match-up?
Despite appearing to have an IndyCar job for life with Meyer Shank Racing, Jack Harvey’s departure and move to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing sparked plenty of debate. However, Harvey's and RLL's combined strengths could prove to be a winning combination - if they get the balance right
Remembering Dan Wheldon and his last and most amazing IndyCar win
Saturday 16 October marks the 10th anniversary of Dan Wheldon’s death. David Malsher-Lopez pays tribute, then asks Wheldon’s race engineer from 2011, Todd Malloy, to recall that magical second victory at the Indianapolis 500
Why Kyle Kirkwood is America's new IndyCar ace-in-waiting
Kyle Kirkwood, the record-setting junior formula driver, sealed the Indy Lights championship last weekend. But despite an absurdly strong junior career and scholarship money, his next move is far from clear
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.