Alonso has last minute engine change

Fernando Alonso's preparation for the Fast Nine qualifying session has not gone smoothly after the team were forced to make an unscheduled engine change. Amazingly, smoke was seen coming from his car as it was fired up and it was later revealed he was suffering from a turbo seal leak.

The Spaniard will run third out of the nine drivers attempting to claim pole position, as he set the seventh fastest time yesterday. Ninth place yesterday, Marco Andretti, will be before Alonso, as will Tony Kanaan who set the eighth fastest average yesterday.

Alonso spoke yesterday evening about the difference between qualifying in F1 and IndyCar. The 36-year-old claims that there is not much difference as every session carries pressure.

On Saturday evening, Alonso said he found Indy 500 qualifying no different from any other session in which's he has competed, with every qualifying run carrying pressure.

"I think similar. All qualifyings are tricky. I go to my go-kart place and when I put on new tires and have 15 kids watching me with the timer in their hands, it's very tough.

"So every qualifying you do you go against the physics of the car and the physics of the circuit at that particular moment. So it gets stressful, it gets difficult, tricky, but a the same time huge adrenaline when you cross the line."

Fergal Walsh