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Fernando Alonso narrowly defeated Jenson Button to win the opening Indianapolis heat of The Race Legends Trophy.
The pair of Formula 1 world champions dominated the event on the Indy oval, breaking clear of the pack when early rival Dario Franchitti had a substantial accident.
Button and Alonso passed each other repeatedly through the race, with Button getting down the inside to take the lead as they began the penultimate lap.
But Button then got too low through Turn 4 and twitched sideways, allowing Alonso to breeze past him heading onto the final lap.
Alonso resisted all Button’s attempts to repass, with the pair crossing the line side by side as Button made one last move out of the slipstream – but Alonso crucially just ahead.
What a win for @alo_oficial JUST beating @jensonbutton – 0.037s! Does this count as triple crown now? The Race All-Star Series – powered by @ROKiTPhonesUK – 📺 Watch now at:
💻 https://t.co/WdVqh7S2NG
🇺🇸 Live on @ESPN
🇬🇧 Live on @Eurosport_UK
#LegendsTrophy pic.twitter.com/oyopCJPVVi— The Race (@wearetherace) May 23, 2020
Jan Magnussen won an extremely close wheel-banging dice with Tiago Monteiro to claim third place, with Tony Kanaan the best of the IndyCar veterans in fifth.
Mario Andretti lost a lap in an early incident, but then sat right behind Button and Alonso for most of the race matching their pace.
Rally star Petter Solberg took a shock pole position only to fall into the midfield in the opening laps. He recovered to eighth behind Darren Turner and David Brabham.
Second place is still a crucial boost for Button in the Legends Trophy title fight, with his main rival Emanuele Pirro spending the race in the midfield and finishing 15th.
