It was sometimes difficult to believe we were watching a rookie in action.

Fernando Alonso's performance at the Indianapolis 500 in May belied his lack of experience not just of the Brickyard, but of oval racing full stop. But even the Spaniard has admitted that he could have been better prepared for the big challenge.

That's why he will be on the grid for the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January at the wheel of an LMP2 prototype. And why he's testing a Toyota LMP1 car in Bahrain.