The Track

If you mention the word ‘Daytona’ to the majority of motorsport fans, they will most probably think of NASCAR at first, such is the circuit’s synonymy with stock car racing.

The oval circuit also boasts a road course section, giving it a ‘half and half’ nature – also known as a ‘roval’ – that makes it a challenge for drivers to tame.

Daytona International Speedway’s road course is 3.56 miles long, featuring 12 corners. After crossing the start-finish line on the banked oval, drivers swoop down into a left-hander that takes them onto the first road course section. This features two hairpins before two 90-degree lefts that take them back onto the oval, which is followed for the remainder of the lap with the exception of the Bus Stop Chicane midway through.

The track offers a challenge that is completely new for Alonso, something he noted not long after his initial test run earlier this month.

“The moments with the high banking were special,” Alonso explained. “You feel the compression there in the body, you feel the visibility change because when you are in the normal part of the circuit, you have a view from the car that is a bit longer ahead.

“When you are in the corner on the banking, you see the next 200 metres of track, only that. I was trying to look where the track was going. It was good fun, the best feeling.