A though battle in Indy - Alonso

The World Champion, Fernando Alonso, is expecting a difficult weekend in Indy, with tough competition all the way. This weekend, the world of F1 wants to make up for the Indy-debacle of last season and also Fernando is determined to offer a good show to the American fans.

"I am excited to be going back. The fans we see there are really passionate about Formula 1 – they are real motorsport fans and really interested in everything that is going on. The atmosphere in the paddock, in the pit-lane and around the track is fantastic thanks to them, so I am looking forward to racing there again."

"This year, it is very important for Formula 1 to have a normal race in Indy. We have a great opportunity to put on a good show, and to demonstrate to the American fans that F1 is an interesting type of racing. To help us grow in America, we need to give them some excitement, some overtaking, and a good race."

"It is a little bit easier than at some other circuits because we have a great passing opportunity into turn 1 if you can slipstream another car on the main straight. Straightline speed is very important at Indy, so we run the car with a low level of downforce like in Montreal. For the infield section, you need good traction, so we concentrate on getting those two very different characteristics from the car."

"I am expecting another really tough battle. It was very close during the race in Montreal between Renault and McLaren, and Kimi put a lot of pressure on me all the way through the first part of the race. I expect it will be similar again this weekend, because we will be running basically the same cars without any developments on them. Depending on the tyre situation, Ferrari will be very competitive too. I have never finished a race in Indy, so this is another place where I really want to get on the podium and add a trophy to my collection!"