Fernando Alonso believes pole position at the Indianapolis 500 would have been within his grasp, were it not for technical problems.

F1 star Alonso qualified fifth at the brickyard, setting a four-lap average speed of 231.300 mph in his McLaren-Honda-Andretti challenger. Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon took pole with 232.164 mph.

Sunday was not without its tribulations for the two-time world champion, however, as he required an engine change before running in the Fast Nine and then saw his lap compromised slightly by an overboost issue.

IndyCar competitors are subject to having their electric power boost cut if it goes above a certain threshold - which hit Alonso on his run.

"I had an overboost problem on lap two out of the last corner and it was like hitting the brakes," he told Autosport.

"I went one gear down and started again picking up the speed. I crossed the line and I thought it was 225mph or something, I nearly came into the pitlane because [I thought] this qualifying run is over with this problem. But I was happily surprised with the final time.

"Today, the car performed better than yesterday and we were very, very competitive, so probably we were very close to pole position today.

"Maybe we would be up there with Scott.

"But once you have secured the Fast Nine, it doesn't change too much where we start."

Alonso is skipping Sunday's F1 Monaco Grand Prix in order to compete at Indy, with Jenson Button replacing him in a woefully underperforming McLaren.