Romain Grosjean seems destined to forever be the bridesmaid in the NTT IndyCar Series after another victory slipped from his grasp at Barber Motorsports Park.
The Frenchman for Andretti Autosport secured pole and led a large portion of the race in Birmingham, Alabama but a late mistake at Turn 5 allowed Scott McLaughlin up the inside on Lap 73 and the Kiwi stormed to victory.
Grosjean was beaten by his teammate Kyle Kirkwood on the streets of Long Beach two weeks ago in agonising fashion and this runners-up spot took his second-place tally to five since moving to IndyCar in 2021.
His last win in any series came all the way back in 2011 during his GP2 championship year at the Hungarian Grand Prix feature race.
Team Penske had made a big gamble early on to commit to the three-stop strategy will all of their cars and a caution at just the right time benefitted the Captain’s stable with Will Power coming home third.
Punching above his weight
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing have had to endure an extremely tough start to 2023 with all three of their Honda-powered cars but the young Danish talent Christian Lundgaard gave them something to smile about in Alabama.
The Dane not only made the fast six at the expense of the likes of Power, Alexander Rossi and Marcus Ericsson but then held his own in the top 10 among some of IndyCar’s biggest teams.
The No.45 machine eventually crossed the line in a very solid sixth place and it wouldn’t be a surprise if those big guns are keeping a very close eye on Lundgaard for any seats that may open up in their stable.
Back home again
Four races into the 2023 season and there have been different names in the mix at each turn but now is when the teams need to find their groove.
As the calendar ticks over into May, all eyes turn to the home of motor racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for not only the Indy GP but the 107th Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend.
Chip Ganassi Racing may not have got on the podium in Alabama but they always turn up at the Brickyard.
| Position | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott McLaughlin | Team Penske | 90 Laps |
| 2 | Romain Grosjean | Andretti Autosport | +1.754 |
| 3 | Will Power | Team Penske | +3.269 |
| 4 | Pato O’Ward | Arrow McLaren | +20.574 |
| 5 | Alex Palou | Chip Ganassi Racing | +20.976 |
| 6 | Christian Lundgaard | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | +23.531 |
| 7 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | +24.276 |
| 8 | Alexander Rossi | Arrow McLaren | +25.058 |
| 9 | Felix Rosenqvist | Arrow McLaren | +25.510 |
| 10 | Marcus Ericsson | Chip Ganassi Racing | +26.019 |
