Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s shock failure to qualify for the 2019 Indianapolis 500 prompted immediate questions about what could have gone so badly wrong.
While Alonso was a contender for victory on his first attempt at the great race in 2017 until his Honda engine failed, his second visit to Indianapolis could hardly have gone worse – and leaves his quest for motorsport’s triple crown on hold for a little while longer at least.
Matt Beer and Tom Errington join Glenn Freeman to explain how things unravelled from the moment Alonso started to test McLaren Indycar his car at Texas in April.
The reasons why McLaren opted against tying up with an experienced team, as it did with Andretti for Alonso’s 2017 attempt, and what should happen next in the two-time Formula 1 world champion’s quest for the triple crown, are also discussed.