Fernando Alonso after Indy 500 practice crash: 'We will be back stronger'

Things aren’t looking good for Spanish racer Fernando Alonso as he prepares for his second attempt at the Indianapolis 500.

The two-time Formula 1 world champion crashed Wednesday afternoon during practice for the iconic event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, hitting the wall in Turn 3, spinning back across the track and through the grass and bouncing off the inside wall. In all, the McLaren Racing driver made contact with the wall three different times.

Alonso was able to climb out of the car himself, and he was evaluated and cleared by the infield medical center, according to IndyCar.

The real blow for Alonso and his team is if his No. 66 Chevrolet suffered so much damage — and it really doesn’t look good — that they’ll have to turn to a backup car for the 103rd Indy 500 on Sunday, May 26.

After the wreck on just the second day of Indy 500 practice, Alonso said, via NBC Sports:

Pure understeer on the car, I lifted the throttle, and it was not enough,” Alonso said. “I lost it completely. The wall came too close and too quickly.

“Unfortunately, it happened today. We will lose a little bit of running time again. I’m sorry for the team, but we’ll learn and hopefully come back this time tomorrow.”

The wreck comes a day after Alonso passed the race’s refresher test but left the track disappointed after being unable to get any additional practice time in because of an electrical issue with his car.

After the crash, he posted a photo of him in the car on Instagram, along with the caption:

Mistake from my side underestimating the grip in T3 today. I’m sorry for the team and the guys that have to work a lot now. Lesson learned. . We will be back stronger later today or tomorrow. #indy500

Alonso returned to IndyCar for his second shot at the Indy 500 crown. He also competed in the 2017 race, but after a promising day as the race rookie led two dozen laps, he suffered engine failure and finished 24th.