INDIANAPOLIS (AP) It was opening day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Fernando Alonso chose a skateboard as his means of transportation through the paddock.
He essentially turned the hallowed Brickyard into his own personal playground.
It has been all Alonso, all the time, since the two-time Formula One champion announced last month he would skip the race in Monaco to run the Indianapolis 500 for the first time. His presence has drawn massive worldwide interest to ”The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” and given Alonso a break from his depressing F1 season with McLaren.
”I think it’s a breath of fresh air for him,” said Zak Brown, a former Indianapolis-based sports marketer who’s now executive director of the McLaren Technology Group.