Scott Dixon overcame a tough start on the Indianapolis Road Course to finish sixth in this morning’s IndyCar GMR Grand Prix, while Scott McLaughlin also required a massive drive from the back to come home 16th.
Both Dixon and McLaughlin were victims from Lap 1 contact and dropped towards the back of the pack. A timely Safety Car, being the races only one, at the start of the next lap proved their saving grace, keeping them in contention.
Dixon was able to recover from 16th to finish 6th, salvaging some good points from what looked to be a difficult situation, while McLaughlin charged from 23rd to 11th, only to fade late on to drop to 16th, one spot ahead of Marcus Armstrong. Armstrong had looked good early but was ultimately let down by a slow first stop before losing out in a tricky middle stint.
The winner was Alex Palou who pulled well clear of the pack to take a comfortable win by over 10 seconds. Pato O’Ward finished second, with Alexander Rossi overtaking pole-sitter Christian Lundgaard with 10 laps to go to take third.
A late battle between Colton Herta and Felix Rosenqvist brought seventh-placed Dixon onto their tails, the Kiwi able to pass Herta in the final laps for a solid result in trying circumstances.
Championship leader Marcus Ericsson could only manage ninth, sacrificing his series lead to Palou and O’Ward.
Next up on the calendar in a fortnights time is a race not to be missed; The 107th Running of the Indy 500. Armstrong will sit that race out with two-time winner Takuma Sato filling in for Chip Ganassi Racing.
