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Fernando Alonso looking for 'milliseconds here and there' as he goes fourth-fastest in Indy 500 practice
Fernando Alonso ran fourth-fastest in the third day of practice for the Indianapolis 500 as he continues to show encouraging signs of getting to grips with oval racing.
The F1 pilot is missing the Monaco Grand Prix to make a one-off appearance in the famous IndyCar race, with his McLaren-Honda team allying with the experienced and successful Andretti Autosport.
Alonso still has two days more of practice before qualifying for the 200-lap race, but was happy to add another 39 laps in difficult conditions on Wednesday to the 117 he completed on Tuesday.
He said: "It was tricky, definitely.
"The conditions today didn't help so [there was] very little running for the big guys, but for me any condition is still a good lesson.
"From the outside, compared to F1 circuits this looks more simple: only four corners. But the spread in terms of the speed from the first car to the last is just on small details which you can gain on set-up.
"What we are testing is very small tuning on set-up to gain milliseconds here and there."
Alonso had previously run 19th and 24th respectively in the first two days of practice as experienced Penske driver Will Power set the pace, lapping at 224.656mph.
The two-time F1 champion managed a best lap of 219.533mph on Wednesday – down on his previous best of 221.029mph, set with the benefit of slipstreaming other cars on the circuit.
Alonso has stated his aim of winning the 'triple crown' of motor sport, one third of which is a victory in the Indy 500.
With two Monaco Grands Prix triumphs already under his belt, the Spaniard would also need to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans to complete a feat only ever achieved by one driver, Graham Hill.
McLaren-Honda have endured another dismal season, their third as partners in Formula One, and have regressed on what little progress they had made in 2016.
Alonso has not been shy in ridiculing the under-performance of his car – both in the press and on the team radio, which is broadcast mid-race – and could leave the team, perhaps the sport too, when his contract expires next winter.