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An electronic problem ruined the day in Indianapolis for Fernando Alonso, who will have to wait to get the Triple Crown . He went back almost ten places, but in the decisive part of Sunday, his car failed. Back to the bottom of the photo, with nothing to do. Álex Palou , the other Spaniard on the track, had to retire after an accident. The victory went to Takuma Sato, who also won in 2017, in the Asturian's debut. A strong blow from Spencer Pigot , five laps to go, sent the champion into the finish line under a yellow flag.

The pandemic did not stop an Iowa fan who since 1981 had not missed an edition of the Indianapolis 500 . He looked out onto the track perched on a tree, 12 meters above the ground, with a poster included. From there he listened, hand on chest, to the American anthem, played at the microphone and piano by two toilets. Donald Trump wanted, at the time, that the most famous race in his country was the first big event with an audience, but the unpredictable journey of the virus stopped his intentions. The NBA Disney bubble in Orlando, Indy is silent and we will see if the Super Bowl in February has live viewers. Hopefully, it would be a good sign for everyone.

In the oval, beyond the little man from Iowa, everything was silent concrete, an aberration for the busiest race on the planet. Without a party in the parking lots or on the stands, the cars did their hard work on the asphalt, 200 laps , nothing more and nothing less. A work to fight with patience, because nothing is gained in the first 100 spins, where it is better to be careful and hit the strategy.

In the first minutes, fire had already been seen twice in two cars, forcing the first exits of the safety car. The yellow flag is a relief for the pilots, who slow down, rest their right foot - it hurts at the end, they admit - and even put their hands out of the driving position to refresh it. A kind of greeting that serves as a relaxation before the new sprint when the test is relaunched.

Undamaged output

At the dawn of the appointment, Fernando Alonso was not even seen on television, when he left in the rear platoon, terrotorio of elbows. He wanted to climb slowly, without haste, on his way to this Indianapolis equator where the candidates are screened. His 2017 experience indicated this, being able on his first time to ride first for 27 laps. That woke up the bug, looking strong, competitive despite being a rookie. His second attempt ended in frustration, last year, without even a ticket to leave - his car failed in qualifying and was left off the grid - and the third began in the shadow of the hopefuls, far away.

He rolled the first 100 laps complying with the road map, crouched waiting for some yellow flag to smile at him. That is to say, that the braking hit him with the stop made and thus be able to gain positions.

Halfway through the course, the two Spaniards, Alonso and Palou , were already in the top 16. The second, rookie in the mythical race, was tenth on lap 112. Ahead, past winners such as Rossi , Dixon or Sato alternated the lead while Sunday took excitement and the cranes were slow to appear. It was a pity that the next stop was due to Palou's accident, on 123. This did not suit his compatriot at all, who was stopped at the pit entrance with an electronic problem.

"The gear won't go in," he repeated to his mechanics, losing a lap and being doubled by the group at the very worst possible moment. A clutch failure ruined the Asturian. Again mechanics as punishment.

Suddenly, he lost everything he had won in the previous hundred-odd laps. The 26th was seen, just his position on the starting grid. Indianapolis nails are unforgiving . The Triple Crown will have to wait at least two years, which he has said will take, at least, to return. He does not want to be distracted on his return to Formula 1, without forgetting that in the oval of extreme speed he has a pending challenge.

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