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After consulting with state and UI officials, IndyCar has established a regulation under which team members must leave the IMS paddock until 7:30 p.m. every night to combat possible exposure to COVID-19 by reducing the number of other people on the site as temporarily as reasonable.
However, extensive damage to the McLaren SP-Chevrolet RuOff Arrow 66 after Alonso hit the wall of Turn Four at the end of today’s practice consultation led the team to seek out and unload a repair waiver.
Tomorrow is Quick Friday, when The BorgWarner turbos of all cars will be adjusted to produce an increase of 1.5 bar – as opposed to 1.3 bar test/race “normal” – in order to prepare for the qualifying weekend. Alonso’s team is expected to work until it at least fixes the damage to the car.
Taylor Kiel, the team’s general manager, told Motorsport.com that the team can simply take responsibility in its wake, having had to repair Robert Wickens’ car after a referral in 2018 (the year James Hinchcliffe did not rate the other team from the team). full season. entry), and last year when Hinchcliffe deviated the first day of qualifying.
“It’s true or false, this is the third year in a row that we have to do something like this in Indy,” Kiel said, “so we’re smart enough to fix those things!
“It’s a shame, everyone started to go down on turn four because of the way the wind blew and because they were understorling at the beginning of the curve, so they were spinning a little earlier. We got this little low and out, too. But well, those things happen.
Describing the damage, Kiel said: “The total right look wants to be repaired – right front corner, right rear corner, gearbox, auxiliary wing, bodywork – that kind of thing. But the thing is that Fernando is doing well, and fortunately we didn’t have a moment of contact with the pit lane attenuator; We saw it once or twice and it didn’t happen very well. So yes, things may have gone a lot worse. The engine’s smart, Chevy came here to check it out. And they’re happy.
“They gave us a special exemption from IndyCar. They have limited the hours of the track, but they perceive the cases in this case, and we will be there as long as we want to face this challenge, around midnight. Our purpose is to build the car and prepare it for the morning generation ».
Kiel said he hoped the accident would have an effect on Alonso’s confidence.
“What last year was a guy who crashed hard and then went out and immediately deflated looking for his car to get into the race,” Kiel said, “so I think he’ll get back in the car and close his visor. And move on.
Kiel admitted that, while fully aware of Alonso’s pedigree and skill, he has been inspired by the two-time Formula One world champion. The 66th car finished fifth overall and the Chevrolet fastest in training on the first day, and Alonso’s most productive lap today was smart enough to be eighth fastest, though he missed the last forty-five minutes of the session.
“Yes, it’s very strong, but impressive from the beginning on this show,” Kiel said. “When we concluded the agreement at the beginning of the year, we expected to have a day of verification in Texas, an open check on Indy, maybe up to seven or 8 days of simulation, and then a full week of practice. Instead, due to coronavirus restrictions, we had a simulation day and were on the right track! Then, just 3 days of verification before qualifying.
“What he’s capable of is very impressive, but that’s what you get when you join a guy like Fernando. Someone who can get into a car he’s not very familiar with and be without delay in rhythm. He did a very smart job.
”Don’t take anything away from the team, although I think our fundamental package here has been forged because we spend a lot of time on it, but by combining Alonso and this car, I think we can feel very confident.
Kiel said that seeing Alonso’s technical reports with Arrow McLaren SP full-time drivers, Duck O’Ward and Oliver Askew, had been instructive.
“It’s very attractive because, of course, Duck and Oliver are very new to this,” he said. “They know the car, they know the Speedway, however, until this week, Oliver had never assembled the car and track, and Duck only had a difficult first year. So each and every turn, they are informed of anything. new about the car habit and the main points of the Speedway, whether they run alone or in a platoon. And each and every one of the times we communicate with them and inform them, they also inform us of any news of them.
“Or they are very professional and fortunately have similar driving styles, so they will already give us a smart direction, but they and we as a team should pay attention to Fernando’s direction and this aligns, but he must also locate the direction.” He knows exactly what he wants and what he thinks is right. It’s the most experienced of the 3 right now, so for Oliver and Duck, having this opportunity to paint with him at this level of their careers is huge. They will be informed until the 200 round of the race ».
Craig Hampson, arrow’s new technical director for 2020, in the past at Dale Coyne Racing, is also a racing engineer for Alonso, a role similar to the one he played at Andretti Autosport when he controlled the additional car at Indy in 2014. for NASCAR star Kurt Busch. And Kiel says Alonso and Hampson turn out to be the best match.
“Fernando is a high caliber driving force and Craig is a large caliber engineer, so they are already accepted as true to each other, even if they haven’t worked together for a long time.”
So when Craig says, ‘That’s great, but I’d like to see this,’ Fernando says’okay, I’m giving you up,’ and when Fernando says, ‘Hey, I think we want to focus on this or that,’ Craig said, ‘OK, great, let’s do this.’ There is an inherent acceptance as true based on their two resumes that allows everyone to accept each other as true and continue. This is vital because time is limited. »