INDIANAPOLIS — Alex Palou inherited the lead on Lap 66, then drove away from the pack Saturday to win the Indianapolis Grand Prix by 16.8006 seconds over Pato O’Ward.
It is Palou’s first win in 11 profession begins at Indy, his first of the season and the primary for Chip Ganassi Racing since Marcus Ericsson received the season opener in March. The victory additionally despatched the 2021 IndyCar collection champion into the factors lead, six forward of Arrow McLaren’s O’Ward, who has been the runner-up 3 times in 5 races this season.
Palou has received 5 instances since becoming a member of the collection in 2020.
“We truthfully knew we had a quick automobile yesterday,” the Spaniard stated. “The automobile has been quick all weekend. I simply needed to execute.”
Alexander Rossi, the 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner, completed third. Pole winner Christian Lundgaard completed fourth for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing — his second straight top-five end on Indy’s 14-turn, 2.439-mile highway course.
Felix Rosenqvist, a teammate of Palou and Rossi, was fifth whereas defending race winner Colton Herta of Andretti Autosport wound up sixth.
However no one might stick with Palou, who handed Lundgaard on the finish of the primary lap and wound up main a race-high 52 of 85 laps on a heat, sticky, principally sunny day.
The race got here right down to tire technique late.
Lundgaard and Palou pitted on reverse ends of Lap 60 with Lundgaard going with sticker primaries whereas Palou went with scuffed tires. O’Ward, of Mexico, pitted three laps later and took the softer sticker reds.
And when Rossi pitted on Lap 65, going with reds, Palou moved to the entrance of the pack and stored pulling away.
Ericsson, the defending Indianapolis 500 champ, completed eighth and dropped two spots within the factors chase to 3rd, 18 factors behind his teammate Palou.
Follow for the Indianapolis 500 begins Tuesday on the monitor’s historic 2.5-mile oval. Pole qualifying will likely be held subsequent Saturday with Bump Day set for Could 21. IndyCar’s largest race of the season will likely be run Could 28.