Alonso’s wait for triple crown goes on as Sato wins Indy 500

Ex-Formula 1 driver Takuma Sato claimed the second Indianapolis 500 win of his career after overtaking long-time leader Scott Dixon to take victory in the 104th running of the prestigious race.

Dixon had looked in control for much of the event and led 111 of the 200 laps but Sato, the former Jordan and Super Aguri F1 driver, passed him after the final round of pit stops, before the race finished under caution when Spencer Pigot suffered a huge late accident.

Japanese racer Sato has subsequently become just the 20th driver in history to win multiple Indy 500 races, following on from his 2017 triumph.

Five-time IndyCar champion Dixon ultimately had to settle for second, ahead of Graham Rahal, who equalled his best result at the Brickyard from 2011 with third place.

Ex-Formula 2 racer Santino Ferrucci recorded his best Indy 500 result of fourth ahead of reigning IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden, who completed the top five for Penske.

Pato O’Ward starred in his maiden Indy 500 outing to claim sixth place as the lead Arrow McLaren SP, while the rest of the top 10 were completed by James Hinchcliffe, Colton Herta, Jack Harvey and 2014 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay.

Fernando Alonso’s quest to become just the second driver in history after Graham Hill to win motorsport’s ‘triple crown’ of victories at the Monaco Grand Prix, Le Mans 24 Hours and Indy 500 will have to wait for the foreseeable future.

Alonso was largely anonymous throughout the 500-mile race on his way to rising from 26th on the grid to finish 21st.

The two-time F1 world champion ran less than 10 seconds off the lead at one stage but his race was ultimately hampered by a clutch problem which occurred shortly after a pit stop during one of the race’s seven safety-car periods.

Alonso, who is returning to the F1 grid with Renault for 2021, has already been ruled out of contesting the Indy 500 for a fourth time next year by his new employer.

Despite his lowly result, the 39-year-old Spaniard could still take positives from recording his first finish at the Indy 500.

“I’m happy to finish the race, cross the line and have one 500 miles in the pocket, that’s the positive thing,” Alonso said.

“The negative is that we were out of contention very quickly with the clutch problem. Anyway, I think the Arrow McLaren SP team was fantastic during the race, the strategy and pit stops meant we were always gaining positions.

“I’m very proud of the work we’ve done over the last couple of weeks. We tried to race, but luck was not with us today, but I’m proud of the effort from everyone in the team.”