Alex Palou likely celebrated his latest victory with some Detroit style fried chicken. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
DETROIT – If it is starting to seem like the 2021 NTT INDYCAR Series season in 2023, Alex Palou may be a distinct reason with this familiar scene and scenario.
Namely, the the 25-year-old Sant Antoni de Vilamajor, Spain native has been off to a torrid start this year, kicking off the season with an eighth place finish in St. Petersburg before earning a podium at Texas. In fact, the 2021 series champion entered Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix with five consecutive top five results.
Entering Sunday’s race at the 1.7-mile, 10-turn road course with a points lead of 20 markers over Marcus Ericsson, Palou asserted himself as the pre-race favorite with his second consecutive pole position in as many weeks.
From jump street, the driver of the No. 10 Ridgeline Lubricants Dallara Honda was the man to beat in the 100-lap race. Leading the opening 28 laps, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver nary put a foot wrong in Round 7 of the 2023 season.
As Palou asserted himself as the dominant force of the race, contenders fell by the wayside around the tricky, bumpy street course. Pato O’Ward crashed in Turn 9 on Lap 43, eliminating himself from the race in frustration fashion.
Not long after, Graham Rahal and Romain Grosjean fell victim to accidents on the track, with the former committing an unforced error that left the Buckeye State native fuming.
Once the dust settled, the race became a battle of wits and guile between Palou and Will Power, two-time and reigning series champion. By far, the two icons extended their elbows around the narrow but sporty street course in “The Motor City.”
While Power tapped into his experience and savvy in his attempts to get past Palou, the Spaniard was simply too much on this occasion.
In a race that featured 10 lead changes among seven different drivers, Palou bested Power by 1.1843 seconds, earning his second win of the year. Suffice to say, the six-time race winner was delighted about his latest victory in The Wolverine State.
Palou was not too proud to beg for a dominant performance in Detroit. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
“The No. 10 Ridgeline Lubricants car was on point today,” Palou said. “Honda gave us everything we needed today in fuel mileage and all the power. I am super proud of the job we did.”
Although Palou may have made it look easy on Sunday afternoon, he had a few worries that crept into the picture.
“It was tricky at the end with those tires (as) I couldn’t really get them up to temperature,” he said. “We had a (gearbox) issue that was probably my fault, but I am proud that we got it back and got another win this year!”
Staving off a determined Power is no easy task for any INDYCAR competitor, but Palou proved he was more than up to the task.
On the other hand, Power earned his first podium of the season in his No. 12 Verizon Dallara Chevrolet fielded by Team Penske. The New Zealand native knew it was a hard fought runner up in Motown.
“Great day for the Verizon Chevy,” Power said. “Would love to get one step up on the podium. Seconds aren’t what you look back on when you lose a championship. You had to be aggressive to keep position and get position.
“This is IndyCar these days. So tough, so many good drivers. You fight for every inch.”
Felix Rosenqvist rounded out the podium finishers, earning his best finish of the season that has been something of a Helter Skelter. In spite of some late race contact with Alexander Rossi, his Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team ally, the Swede defended his gritty drive and defense of the final podium position.
“It was tight at the end, maybe a bit too tight for comfort,” Rosenqvist said. “Unfortunately, we were in the situation now with Arrow McLaren that we’re fighting each other at the front almost every weekend.
“It’s a good problem to have, let’s say. Obviously, we don’t want to put each other into the wall or anything, but we raced each other really hard a couple of times, me and Alex (Rossi) all season.”
Palou stood proud and tall on the Autotrader podium in Detroit. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
Meanwhile, Palou increased his points lead from 20 to 51 markers heading into the Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America slated for Sunday, June 18. Before competitors, critics and fans may concede this year’s title to the Spaniard, the personable racer wanted to make one thing clear after his Detroit win.
“It’s still too early [to think about the championship],” Palou said. “We’ll keep focused on the next few races—there’s a few that I really love coming. We’ll keep on pushing!”
Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Results
- Alex Palou
- Will Power
- Felix Rosenqvist
- Scott Dixon
- Alexander Rossi
- Kyle Kirkwood
- Scott McLaughlin
- Marcus Armstrong (R)
- Marcus Ericsson
- Josef Newgarden
- Colton Herta
- Devlin DeFrancesco
- Simon Pagenaud
- Agustin Canapino
- Conor Daly
- Christian Lundgaard
- Jack Harvey
- Rinus VeeKay
- Helio Castroneves
- Benjamin Pederson (R)
- Santino Ferrucci
- Sting Ray Robb
- David Malukas – Contact
- Romain Grosjean – Contact
- Graham Rahal – Contact
- Pato O’Ward – Contact
- Callum Illott – Contact
