Álex Palou started the 2023 season of the IndyCar with an eighth place in the St. Petersburg GP, in a bumpy race, of survival, with a dozen dropouts. The most striking were those of McLaughlin and grosjeanwhich collided when the Penske returned from the pits and tried to defend his lead against the Frenchman Andretti in the final stretch of the race. One of the images from the premiere of the season, and who knows if of the year. The other postcard left her Patrick O’Ward with the McLaren, whose car failed (a sensor stopped working, according to the driver’s statements at the finish line) when he was leading the way to victory. Ericsson from less to more, he took advantage of the gifts he found to go to the victory lane, where the Mexican and Dixon seconded him. Palou, who finished fourth, finished eighth with the hard tires on the wire.
The race started clean in front but not behind. There was a scrum and the first seven abandonments. With the focus on the accident and the resulting red flag, it went almost unnoticed that Palou had already gained two positions from seventh on the grid, to drop behind grosjean, Hertha, O’Ward and ericsson.
It started again, a copy of the beginning but better positioned Palou, in the fifth, and the Andretti de Grosjean and Herta ahead, far superior without being able to imagine the catastrophe that was coming upon them. As an appetizer, Herta ate her soft gums, putting him in the middle of the group. She also gave up positions palou for the same circumstances, while McLaughlin He reached the lead by extending his entry with the black tires and maintaining the position when he returned from the garages. This coincided with the second caution almost chained to the third after a triple touch. And in the fourth, hell began Andretti: after the appetizer of gums, first course, Hertha to the wall after touching power. Ahead continued the Penske of McLaughlin harassed by grosjean. The main course was yet to come.
for the last rush the engineers put palou, seventh, before anyone, looking for a free track with hard to try to scratch positions. The maneuver forced the others, with the unknown of how the positions remain around the pits, which would clarify the panorama of victory and the podium. And disaster came. After the appetizer and the first course, the dessert for Andretti: accident of McLaughlin and grosjeanboth against the wall in a rude way when one struggled to do undercut and the other to avoid it. The first recognized the part of his guilt at the end. One of the images of the year that left first and second out of the race and the team Andretti with two of its struts removed.
Inherited leadership for McLaren with O’Wardfollowed by the three ganassi of ericsson, Dixon and palougreat beneficiaries of the brawl Andretti Penske 25 from the end. The restart cost Palou two positions, from fourth to sixth with the occasional understeer and traction problem overcome by rossi and Illot. Only Ericsson threatened the leadership of the Mexican, who had some problem with his McLaren when he had the victory in his pocket and had to settle for second place. the swedish of ganassiwithout making noise, he was taking advantage of the opportunities to win. Dixon He was third and Palou, for his part, finished eighth with the wheels on the canvas. Maybe for stopping before anyone else for the last stint.
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