IndyCar

Andretti’s Rob Edwards: “I think it went every bit as well as we hoped it would”

1 Mins read
Fernando Alonso completed 110 laps of IMS on Wednesday - Credit: Chris Owens / IndyCar

Andretti Autosport COO Rob Edwards admitted he was relieved that Fernando Alonso’s first test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ahead of his Indianapolis 500 debut this month went to plan, especially as it was broadcasted live.

Edwards said the Spaniard did a good job around the legendary 2.5-mile oval on Wednesday, with Alonso completing 110 laps and his Rookie Orientation Program, meaning he is free to compete in the Indy 500 at the end of the month.

It was Alonso’s first taste of running on an oval, and Edwards felt positive with the results of the day, with the Spaniard achieving a fastest lap of 222.548mph.

“I would say [I’m] relieved the first live test we’ve ever been a part of went OK,” said Edwards to Racer. “It’s the first test I’ve ever done where we had a production planning meeting beforehand! It was good, right? Why would we not expect him to do a good job, given his credentials?

“Given the amount of time he spent preparing, he’s just super thorough about every aspect of it and has taken a lot of time and effort to educate himself about what to expect. I think it went every bit as well as we hoped it would, and fortunately the weather held off for us and we were able to tick all of the boxes on the test list.”

Edwards was pleased Alonso was able to experience a number of things he would not have been able to until Carb Day at Indianapolis, and he was impressed with what the Spaniard did throughout his first day in an IndyCar.

“As everyone was able to see, we did yellow running, he was able to practice exiting off of Turn 4 which is something as a rookie he wouldn’t have a chance to do until Carb Day,” said Edwards.

“His exploring nature [was seen]; a couple of times he just came in off of Turn 3 rather than Turn 4 because he was out to experience as many different aspects of the track as he could today. [I’m] impressed with everything he did, but not surprisingly impressed because that’s very much his nature.”

13769 posts

About author
Long time motorsport fanatic, covering Formula 1 and the occassional other series. Feel free to give him a follow on Twitter at @Paul11MSport.
Articles
Related posts
Formula 1Historic RacingIndyCar

GP of Long Beach introduces Historic Formula Exhibition for 2025

2 Mins read
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will host two 20-minute races for historic open-wheelers like Sébastien Bourdais’ 2005 winner and Mario Andretti’s 1977 United States Grand Prix West-winning Lotus.
IndyCarNASCAR Cup SeriesOff Road

Parnelli Jones, 1933–2024

2 Mins read
Parnelli Jones, one of the most versatile racers of all time with victories at the Indianapolis 500, Baja 1000, NASCAR Cup Series, among others, died Tuesday after a battle with Parkinson’s.
IndyCarOpen Wheel

Newgarden goes back-to-back in thrilling, rain-delayed Indy 500 win over O'Ward

4 Mins read
Josef Newgarden took the high line over Pato O’Ward on the lap 200 to go back-to-back at the Indy 500 for the first time since 2002.