Niki Lauda to watch Fernando Alonso's Indy 500 bid

Niki Lauda has said that he will be following every lap of Fernando Alonso's bid to win the Indy 500 on Sunday.

McLaren driver Alonso's shock Indy project has been controversial, as it means that he must skip the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix.

However, F1 legend Lauda said that he admires the move.

"I am following Alonso's adventure closely," the Mercedes team chairman told Blick.

"A victory at Indy is for eternity. In my time, a team would never have allowed me to go there even though I had offers," Lauda, who drove for Ferrari and McLaren, added.

"Following the race on TV is a must for me."

A frustrating campaign so far has seen Alonso fail to pick up any points in the drivers' championship.