Fernando Alonso got his first taste of the new 2018 IndyCar aero kit after he took part in what he hailed as a "special" test at Barber Motorsports Park.
The Spaniard drove a blue-and-green sponsor free Andretti Honda DW12 around the Alabama circuit; conditions during the day were both wet and dry after rain fell in the morning with the track eventually drying out to get some slick tyre runs in the afternoon.
Alonso said: "Yeah, it was a good day, a fun day. I love to test new cars and to test the IndyCar on a road course is something 'special'.
"I’ve been lucky enough to test it in wet conditions, in intermediate conditions and in dry conditions, so overall I had a good feeling on every type of track.
"The weather was good for us today, a little bit of wind in the afternoon but overall a positive day."
Now having experienced both superspeedway and road course configurations of IndyCar, he was asked which he preferred, he said: "Probably my instinct will tell me road course because it’s what I’ve been used to doing all my life, but the Indy 500 was an amazing experience, so 50/50.
"I think I love the way the car feels on a road course, but I love the way you compete on ovals, timing the tows, traffic and all the overtaking manoeuvres I think are a little bit easy on the ovals, so in terms of track action I loved the Indy 500."
Alonso is still chasing the 'triple crown' of motorsport and is now only missing the Indianapolis 500 from the three races, which include the Monaco Grand Prix and 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Future plans for the two-time F1 World Champion are still unknown and did not give any hints away if he was to join the IndyCar series in 2019.
"It was something that I was looking for last year already," added the Spaniard. "I had some options to test the car on a road course after the Indy 500. We didn’t find the time, but this year it’s definitely happened now and I’m happy for this.
"I love being behind a steering wheel, and definitely a new car, a new experience, learning a lot of things from the team, the engineers, everyone, so a happy day."
