Dario Franchitti: Indy500 Exclusive 27 | 05 | 2017

Scotland’s Dario Franchitti knows all about the challenges double F1 world champ Fernando Alonso will face in his Indianapolis 500 debut tomorrow; after all, he won it three times, and was IndyCar champ on four occasions. Dario spoke exclusively to Jim McGill to give his insight into the challenges the Spaniard faces, and gives his verdict on whether Alonso can win

THREE-TIME INDY500 winner and four-time IndyCar champ, Bathgate’s Dario Franchitti, believes Fernando Alonso can win America’s Blue Riband race on his oval debut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

But Franchitti, the only Scot other than legendary double Formula 1 world champ Jim Clark to have won the Indy500, acknowledges Alonso is only one of 15 drivers capable of winning Sunday’s 500-mile race.

While the Spaniard’s F1 compatriots will average around 99mph contesting Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix, Alonso’s Andretti-prepared McLaren-Honda will be significantly quicker: he averaged 231mph over his four laps in qualifying.

In our exclusive interview, Franchitti — who still plays a pivotal role with his Chip Ganassi Racing team, whose driver Scott Dixon starts from pole position — explains the challenges Alonso faces; how he has gained the respect of IndyCar regulars; how he’ll need to ‘turn right’ to keep his IndyCar running straight; and how the current crop of Indy500 racers are ‘mad’.

Jim McGill: How impressed have you been with Alonso over the last couple of weeks?

Dario Franchitti: Very impressed. I had no doubt he was going to be ok when he was running on-track on his own, but I’ve been very impressed with the way he’s adapted to running round in traffic. He’s caught on to the demands of that very, very quickly, because it’s like nothing he will have experienced in Formula 1. It’s very, very different to anything he’s done before.

And obviously it’s absolutely nothing to do with his talent level; it’s simply that he’s had no experience of high-speed ovals. But he’s picked it up really quickly, and he looks quite strong actually.

JM: What are the main challenges you think he’ll face in the race?

DF: How to position the car, especially towards the end when it gets really tense. How to position the car to get the most out of it.

And how he handles the adjustments to the car. Sometimes the car really loses its balance — at Indy you don’t want it to understeer or oversteer — so if it loses its balance too much, then he needs to find a way to get that back.

But really it’s all about managing the traffic, and positioning the car relative to the other guys. He’s done that very well during practice, because running in the turbulence generated by the cars around you certainly changes the characteristics of your own car; and these change at different sections of the track.

Not only does it change on each straight and each corner, but the wind conditions also play a big part in the balance of the car.

But when business picks up at the end of the race, that might be a little bit of a shock to him, because the boys around him will be on it.

JM: What’s the main difference between the Indy500 and F1 grand prix?

DF: The cars are completely different. If he went to Silverstone and drove an F1 car, then an IndyCar, he’d obviously discover they’re completely different.

But the fact he’s here, on an oval, and with the set-up that’s on the car to ensure it does what it has to do — which is really just turn left at a certain speed — is a test.

Because the car operates in a very narrow speed window, and with four corners which are very, very similar, there’s no compromise in the set-up at all. It feels very, very strange.

I actually had to turn quite hard to the right just to keep the car in a straight line. But it’s just a case of getting used to all that … at 230mph!

The car doesn’t want to stop particularly well, it doesn’t want to accelerate particularly well. But the traction is very good. It’s a big learning curve. He’s had a reasonable amount of practice, and he’s picked it up very well.

JM: The contrast between the slowest F1 race in Monaco, and the world’s fastest race at Indianapolis, couldn’t be more dramatic.

DF: Yeh. I think the average speed at Monaco is around 99mph, while here Alonso lapped at an average of 231mph over his four laps in qualifying. So the difference is staggering.

It’s a completely different type of race, and that’s something the IndyCar drivers go into week in, week out. They’re used to it.

After the race here on Sunday, the following Saturday and Sunday they have two races at Detroit on a circuit which is a lot tighter, and a lot bumpier than Monaco. It’s all part of the challenge of IndyCar.

JM: Has Alonso surprised the established IndyCar drivers?

DF: No; I think they all thought he would do a good job. There’s a lot of respect there, for him and his talents. And I think he’s probably — and I don’t want to put words in his mouth — been impressed by the IndyCar guys here too, guys like Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon, Helio Castroneves.

Plus he did a great job in qualifying: fifth-quickest on your first outing in an IndyCar, and at the Indy500 is definitely impressive.

From the drivers in both series — F1 and IndyCar — there’s a lot of mutual respect.

JM: Michael Andretti has said Alonso’s a shoe-in for a top five if he finishes. Can he go even better and win it?

DF: Of course he can win it. He’s in a very strong car and has a very strong team behind him.

So, of course he can win it. But it’s going to be very, very difficult. I’ve counted 12-15 cars which I think have a legitimate shot at winning the race. I think he’s definitely one of those.

JM: Obviously great for you to see your old team-mate Scott Dixon get pole position for Chip Ganassi Racing.

DF: Yeh. Scott did a terrific job in qualifying. Typical Scott. I was very impressed with the set-up he had, and the fact he managed to hold on to it through qualifying. I’m not sure too many people could have driven that car and set-up at that speed for four laps. That was impressive.

I know he’s feeling good about the car for the race. Tony’s (Kanaan) feeling strong too, so I hope one of our four guys win it.

JM: Having been absorbed in the Indy500 for the last couple of weeks, how badly do you miss it?

DF: Hmmm …. not massively. I made peace with it when I was forced to stop in 2013. And that’s now becoming a long time ago. I actually watch what they do now, and I think, “that’s kind of mad”.

It takes a different mindset do to the job in the car on-track, especially on the ovals. I’m in a different chapter of my life now. I love being involved with the team, and I love driving cars, but I’m not necessarily sure it needs me to drive a car round Indianapolis at 105%.

Related: Dario Franchitti — Reflecting a Legacy

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Jim McGill