By Sara Jané | @saraajn_
Sports Capital Journalism Program
INDIANAPOLIS – After a late start due to fine rain on an unseasonably cool day, the 109th Indianapolis 500 started with issues that eliminated seven cars. The unstable pace and variable track conditions meant that the race quickly became a strategic challenge.
Marcus Ericsson, who initially crossed the finish line in second place, reflected on a key moment in the final laps:
“Was that I had a position on Alex [Palou], and I sort of lost that,” Ericsson said during the Fox Sports telecast. “And that is, you know, when that happened, he was definitely an advantage.”
However, Ericsson’s second-place result did not stand for long. The following day came a surprising announcement of penalties for two teams: Andretti Global and Prema Racing. Cars No. 27 driven by Kyle Kirkwood and No. 28 driven by Ericsson from Andretti Global and the No. 90 of Callum Ilott from the Prema Racing team, were penalized based on the post-race inspection.
According to the official INDYCAR release, unauthorized modifications were found on the Energy Management System (EMS) covers and cover-to-A-arm mounting points with unapproved spacers and parts of the Andretti cars. INDYCAR stated that these modifications provided the ability to increase the aerodynamic efficiency of both cars.
As a result, Ericsson and Kirkwood were relegated from 2nd to 31st, and 6th to 32nd place, respectively, in the final results. Meanwhile, the No. 90 car of Prema Racing’s Callum Ilott failed to meet the minimum specification for the height and location of the end plate. As a result, Ilott dropped from 13th to 33rd.
Scott McLaughlin, Marco Andretti, Alexander Rossi, Rinus VeeKay, Robert Shwartzman, Kyffin Simpson, Kyle Larson, Sting Ray Robb, Joseph Newgarden, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Nolan Siegel did not complete the race.
The retirements were caused by the most diverse types of problems, from a triple accident involving drivers Larson, Simpson and Robb to a fire in Rossi’s car at the pit stop, as well as fuel pressure problems for two-time Indy 500 winner Newgarden, which took him out of the race on lap 134.
“It’s tough to not have a shot here at the end,” Newgarden said during the Fox broadcast. “Was trying to be methodical today, you know, it’s a team sport, it takes everything to win here. I wish we had a chance to fight for it, it’s a big team effort. So, it’s a shame to not be there and fight.”
The opening lap was marked by McLaughlin’s crash, who lost control of his car in an attempt to warm up his tires. And in reality, was just the start of an Indy 500 full of tense moments and retirements. In total there were seven yellow flag periods over 45 laps, with the race beginning and ending like this, after Siegel’s crash on the last lap.
Shwartzman, the first rookie to start in the pole position since Teo Fabi in 1983, said that he had problems with the car at the first pit stop and, when he stopped for the second time, he had problems with the brakes, causing the Prema Racing driver to hit teammates and the wall and be forced to abandon the race.
“We had our first pit stop and we had some issues there, so I lost a lot of time,” Shwartzman said on the Fox broadcast. “When I came back to my pit I actually did not push, I tried to be very slow, but as soon as I touched my brakes my both front just locked and just went straight into the guys. It’s really sad because we did such great work in qualifying.”
With so many yellow flags, the strategies of the teams and their drivers were decisive. Palou made his final pit stop on lap 168 and explained that the team freed him up to attack the second-place driver, Ericsson, as soon as they confirmed that he could go to the end without an extra stop.
“That’s why I tried to overtake Marcus as quickly as they told me that the fuel was more or less OK to go to the end,” Palou said. “I think I was able to get advantage of the traffic cars as well to help me throw up very good and not consume too much fuel.”
Palou also praised the work of Chip Ganassi Racing, highlighting the collective effort that made their historic victory possible.
“I think I get a lot of credit because you see that I’m the only one driving the car,” he said, “but there’s a huge team behind that is making me look very good on track. That’s taking into account not only the setup but the strategies, the pit stops that they did as well. So yeah, it’s amazing, it’s incredible.”
On a day when many were unable to complete the race, Palou did more than just reach the finish: he triumphed.
