Over 2 million people went online to watch Fernando Alonso's first test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday.
Alonso, who is missing the Monaco Grand Prix to race at the Indy 500 on May 28 in a McLaren-Andretti Autosport entry powered by Honda, completed his Rookie Orientation Programme on Wednesday, meaning he has been cleared to compete at the iconic oval race. The test was broadcast on IndyCar's official Facebook and YouTube pages, which had 950,000 and 1.2 million views respectively throughout the day.
The test generated huge interest despite only involving Alonso's orange No.29 car. Marco Andretti, son of Andretti Autosport owner and former McLaren driver Michael, did a shakedown of the car in the morning before handing over to the Spaniard for his test session. Alonso then completed the ROP -- which sees drivers completing various phases split by race speeds -- in 40 laps, before the test continued throughout the day, with the two-time world champion finishing 110 laps to his name.
Many in motorsport praised Andretti Autosport, McLaren and IndyCar for allowing the test to be broadcast live. It marks a stark contrast to F1 test events, which are not televised. Alonso posted to Instagram expressing his surprise at the number of viewers.
The Spaniard will not get another chance to test until Indy 500 practice begins the day after his home F1 race in Barcelona. Once finishing that event, Alonso will fly directly to Indianapolis to start the practice schedule.