Why Alonso's second Indy 500 will be much harder

It will be easier the second time. That was Fernando Alonso's conclusion after his star turn in the 2017 Indianapolis 500, a race he was in the mix to win had his Honda engine held together.

But it's not necessarily the case that it will be simpler. From the perspective of Alonso himself knowing how the unique (half) month of May works, clearly he is in much better shape. He's completed an Indy 500, well, 447.5 miles of one, has experienced the vagaries of the track, the crosswinds, the grip changes, drafting, and has proved conclusively that he's able to cut it against the best oval racing has to offer. None of that was a surprise in 2017. Alonso is a driver with the ability and intellect to turn his hands successfully to any form of racing he chooses.

But The Brickyard is a harsh mistress, just ask the Andretti family that has notched up a grand total of one victory - Mario's in the Brawner Hawk back in 1969 - despite consistently being contenders over the past half-century. But beyond the unique challenges of the race, the circumstances are different for Alonso in 2019 in other ways.

In 2017, the McLaren-backed entry was run by the crack Andretti Autosport team, which was the quickest show in town that year. Takuma Sato won the race, while Alonso suggested that he and team-mate Alexander Rossi would have been half a lap ahead had things gone purely based on pace. That might be an exaggeration, but the Andretti cars outclassed everyone.

This year, Alonso drives for a genuine McLaren team, albeit one with assistance from Carlin. It is run by former Force India Formula 1 deputy team principal Bob Fernley, a winning team boss in this form of racing in the mid-1980s and a canny operator.

Alongside him is McLaren F1 sporting director Gil de Ferran, who worked with Alonso in 2017 to assist with adapting to Indy and won the race himself in '03. So there is experience in the leadership. Comprising a blend of McLaren personnel and established IndyCar crew, it has the required raw materials to do well. But one thing is lacking: time for this collective to coalesce into a battle-hardened operation. The first time they attempt a live pitstop will be when Alonso peels into the pits for the first time during the race.

"Individually, everyone is extremely talented," says McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown. "It's going to be things like pitstops and calling strategy - and if you do have some drama everyone being able to jump in on instinct. That's where lack of working together can catch you out. That's going to be the hardest part of the race for us."

What Alonso proved beyond doubt in 2017, as he does every time he drops into an unfamiliar environment and thrives, is his application

Alonso himself can help the team pull together. He's a totemic driver who is the ideal focal point, provided his and the team's views on how things should be done are aligned and, while being a single-car entry is a disadvantage, there will at least be no distractions for the team. The collaboration with Carlin gives Alonso some pseudo-team-mates to work with in Charlie Kimball, Pato O'Ward and Max Chilton with data shared between the teams. But this is a huge challenge for McLaren and Alonso.

"There's no underestimating the challenge we have ahead of us," says de Ferran. "It's a new team that we put together going into the 500. There's a lot of very capable people in the team but still it takes time to gel and understand everything. Plus, we know we are going against some pretty formidable competitors."

IndyCar itself has also changed since Alonso's last appearance. Gone are the manufacturer bodykits, meaning both Honda and Chevrolet-engined cars are the same save for the loud bit that sits behind the driver. Chances are, this year there will be more packages strong enough to fight for victory. In 2017, while Helio Castroneves finished a strong second, Team Penske struggled overall, but IndyCar's current powerhouse team should be a serious threat this time. That Chevy should be more competitive this year is good news for Alonso, given he has switched engine camps.

Last year's race was also very different to the 2017 edition, producing a more processional 500-miler that poses a very difficult challenge in terms of dealing with traffic.

This is thanks to the spec bodykit used by all teams. Changes have been made to the Dallara superspeedway kit to address this following negative fan feedback, while Firestone has also modified its tyres - originally developed for the manufacturer aerokit era - to better suit the current cars. Overall, the objective was to get downforce levels in line with what they had been in 2017. So that's at least something that will offer a familiar feel to Alonso.

What Alonso proved beyond doubt in 2017, as he does every time he drops into an unfamiliar environment and thrives, is his application. During the practice days, he was completing up to three hours of simulator work in the mornings to augment his on-track experience. He was also laser-focused on the specific objectives of each day, avoiding getting ahead of himself.

He comfortably made the 'Fast Nine' qualifying shootout and ended up fifth on the grid. Inexperience perhaps showed there, as he was a serious contender to do better only to lean the car off a little too much on Pole Day - although an overboost also led to the McLaren ECU backing off the power briefly at the end of lap two of his four-lap qualifying run. He reckoned that cost him 0.3-0.4mph on the average run pace, with just 0.187mph required to get him onto the front row.

Alonso was genuinely in the mix to win the race before his Honda engine let him down. He took the lead for the first time just 37 laps into his oval racing career and was running seventh, having just passed Tony Kanaan, when he ground agonisingly to a halt. He had just picked up the pace after a quiet phase of the race, during which he was passed by Sato, which he put down to a desire not to overwork the front tyres. What we will never know is how he would have fared in increasingly intense cut-and-thrust in the closing stages.

What is undoubted is the impact he had. Everywhere he went he was mobbed, to the point where he expressed a little frustration at having to stop and pose for photographs while in the process of putting his helmet on to jump into the car.

His rivals viewed the circus that surrounded him with a mixture of amusement and, in some cases, perhaps with a little genuine irritation. Alonso was the real deal on and off track, with experienced IndyCar observers likening the interest he attracted to that drawn by Nigel Mansell in 1993.

Chances are, he would have been in the final battle for victory - and perhaps he could even have won it. While Alonso watched, Sato battled his way past Castroneves, with Ed Jones third for Dale Coyne. There's a very good chance Alonso would have been among them, although whether or not the oval experience deficit to Sato and Castroneves would ultimately have cost him was an unanswered question. Remember, Mansell was leading his debut Indy 500 and on course to win when he was jumped by Emerson Fittipaldi and Arie Luyendyk at a restart.

We can't be sure what would have happened, but to perform so strongly as a one-off entry, even in the powerhouse team, was remarkable. To do something similar in a scratch team, even one with an illustrious name and accomplished personnel, would be an even greater achievement. As Alonso said himself after his first test for the team in April, he is undoubtedly ready, but what really matters is the equipment.

"This time the Indy 500 feels different for me, I know the race, I know the length and we should be a bit more ready especially on the emotional side," he said. "Now it's just about making sure the car is fast."