Why treacherous Indy is so special
Those in a Formula 1 bubble may not give the Indianapolis 500 the real interest it deserves, but it's a special race thanks to tradition, danger and - of course - Fernando Alonso
My first visit to the Indianapolis 500 was back in 1981, when Bobby Unser, then 47 years old, won the race for the third time. It must be said that his victory was a contentious one, Unser being accused of passing several cars 'under yellow' as he rejoined the track after a pitstop, and the following day he was given a 'one-place' penalty.
That morning I was on a flight to New York when the pilot, learning of the United States Auto Club's decision, immediately decided to share it with his passengers. "So therefore, ladies and gentlemen," he concluded, "the winner of the Indy 500 is... Mario Andretti!"
Share Or Save This Story
Archive: The flamboyant F1 ace who lost his best years at Ferrari
Archive: When F1's Italian GP no-overtaking proposal was rejected
From the archive: How Williams's last F1 title challenge unravelled
Autosport 70: How Mansell bested Senna in the greatest F1 Hungarian GP ever
Autosport70: Senna, tragedy and the battle for Coulthard
Autosport 70: The rise and fall of Ferrari's first great champion
Grand Prix Gold: Australian GP 1986
The pre-Christmas pressure on Bottas and Vettel
Lauda's 1976 German GP helmet to be auctioned at F1 Miami GP
Ocon wants set-up changes after China F1 sprint as "performance left on the side"
MotoGP schedule: When is the next MotoGP race and where will it be held?
Honda MotoGP boss "confused" by "good improvements" not working
The apprenticeship that will aid Ilott's IndyCar to WEC switch at Jota
The long evolution of Dallara's Indy 500 winner
Nigel Mansell’s greatest F1 and Indycar drives
How Ericsson achieved Indy immortality as Ganassi's main man stumbled
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.
