Alex Palou added yet another road course victory to his CV after masterfully winning the IndyCar Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
The Spaniard for Chip Ganassi Racing was embroiled in a race-long battle with Christian Lundgaard, who claimed his first IndyCar pole at the Brickyard, before the Dane slipped back to fourth.
Once Palou got out front, he was just too fast for anyone to handle as he has been on road courses previously. This was his fifth IndyCar win with all of them coming on road courses (Barber, Road America, Portland and Laguna Seca the locations for his other victories).
For the third time in 2023, Pato O’Ward had to settle for second but the Mexican wants consistency this year and he’s certainly found it. It was a good day overall for Arrow McLaren with Alexander Rossi also on the podium in third and Felix Rosenqvist fifth.
Scott Dixon was virtually anonymous all day but as the Iceman always does, he found his way into the top six by the chequered flag.
Penske problems?
Considering that Roger Penske owns the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, you’d think his team would be far quicker around the road course but it was a very anonymous day for the Captain’s ship.
Josef Newgarden salvaged some pride for the Team Penske stable, ending the day with a respectable seventh and a decent haul of points.
But Scott McLaughlin, who won the previous race at Barber Motorsports Park, and Will Power were both mired down the order all day, unable to make progress.
Dale Coyne Racing had an even worse day at the Racing Capital of the World as Sting Ray Robb misjudged his braking at Turn 7 on Lap 2, clattering into his teammate David Malukas.
Robb had to retire on the spot while Malukas, who had a coming together with McLaughlin on the opening lap, made it back to the pits before stepping out of his car.
Indy GP Top 10 Results
| Position | Name | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Palou | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 2 | Pato O’Ward | Arrow McLaren |
| 3 | Alexander Rossi | Arrow McLaren |
| 4 | Christian Lundgaard | Rahal Letterman Lanigan |
| 5 | Felix Rosenqvist | Arrow McLaren |
| 6 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 7 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske |
| 8 | Marcus Ericsson | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 9 | Colton Herta | Andretti Autosport |
| 10 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan |
The month of May is now properly underway and the 107th Indianapolis 500 is fully in the crosshairs of the IndyCar paddock. It’s going to be a stellar two weeks.
