Pictures: Sato wins an incident-packed Indianapolis 500

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While all the eyes were on Fernando Alonso it was another F1 driver who claimed victory in a dramatic Indianapolis 500.

Takuma Sato came close to winning the race five years ago but crashed out while sparring with Dario Franchitti on the final lap. This time he got his revenge after passing three-times Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves in the final laps.

Alonso led the early phases of the race before slipping into the middle of the pack following a late restart. He had begun to work his way back towards the front when his Honda engine expired.

Here’s a selection of pictures from the spectacular race.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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13 comments on “Pictures: Sato wins an incident-packed Indianapolis 500”

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    Excuse me :D (@square-route)
    29th May 2017, 12:09

    I would have voted for Alonso and Sato if they were available in the DotW voting.

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    GtisBetter (@)
    29th May 2017, 12:25

    A very strong drive from sato. Aggresive all afternoon. He usually drives all or nothing. This time he got it all.

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    MazdaChris (@mazdachris)
    29th May 2017, 12:43

    I’ve been a fan of Taku ever since his days with BAR and Super Aguri, so I’m really stoked to see him take the win,

    I think in a way, the way that this Indy500 race panned out was really the best possible result in terms of publicity. Alonso arrived and was competitive but at no point looked certain for the win. It would have been, I think, a bit of a disaster if he showed up and blitzed the field – in this way he proved his own racing pedigree by being able to quickly acclimatize to the new racing environment, and also demonstrated that the drivers in the IndyCar series are of a similar level of talent to those in F1. The fact that the eventual winner was a driver who will be familiar to the F1 fans tuning in for the first time is just the icing on the cake.

    It’s not a result Alonso would have wanted but really it’s the perfect interesting story for us fans. I don’t think I’ve felt that a race, in retrospect, has been so compelling since last year’s Le Mans 24h. Great job all round and massive kudos to both McLaren and Andretti for making this happen.

    1. Don
      29th May 2017, 22:27

      Well said.

      Sato drove a fantastic race, and was superb and brave at the end.

      Alonso did terrific. Such a bummer that his engine expired. I can’t see how he cannot come back. This will eat at him for some time. He had a fantastic experience and i think loved every minute, except the end.

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      petebaldwin (@)
      30th May 2017, 1:56

      @mazdachris The best thing about Alonso retiring is that it means he hasn’t won the Indy 500. Yet.

  4. Duncan Snowden
    29th May 2017, 17:52

    Great race – truly great race, definitely in the top three of any I’ve ever seen (and not my first superspeedway; I followed CART pretty closely back in the ’90s) – and a deserved win. Taku was always there or thereabouts through the whole month, and how he held off Castroneves in those last few laps I’ll never know. I have to say, though, around lap 140 I really began to think Fernando might actually pull it off. What does that guy have to do to see a chequered flag this season?

    Disappointing for Max Chilton. That would have set a few heads exploding round these parts. :)

    1. Don
      29th May 2017, 22:30

      Agree Duncan. The 500 is always fantastic! Watching IndyCars on road and street courses (2/3’s of the schedule) is terrific too.

  5. Nunu
    30th May 2017, 20:53

    Those cars are so damn ugly…sorry ! Will never be a fan!

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      Wesley (@)
      30th May 2017, 22:12

      Racing > aesthetics

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      Mangy Black Sheep (@mangyblacksheep)
      31st May 2017, 6:45

      Not becoming a fan based on how the cars look, ridiculous. Plus they’re changing the aero-kits next year anyway.

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    Mangy Black Sheep (@mangyblacksheep)
    31st May 2017, 6:18

    Sato! :-D

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    Joey-Poey (@joey-poey)
    31st May 2017, 15:28

    When F1 fans take pot-shots at Indy Car drivers as less talented and the series as boring or less important than F1, I look at the shots of that crowd and go “HRMMMMMMM…”

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      Wesley (@)
      31st May 2017, 22:31

      300,000 strong

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