Palou began third in his Chip Ganassi Racing entry however was into the lead earlier than the top of the primary lap, having taken benefit of the additional grip from the red-sidewalled Firestones.
He went on to guide 52 of the 85 laps, and was in a position to outpace polesitter Christian Lundgaard of Rahal Letterman Lanigan after which the Arrow McLaren of Pato O’Ward to attain his fifth IndyCar victory, and his first of the season.
“We knew beginning on the alternates we would have liked to go arduous and try to get the lead as quick as potential,” mentioned the 2021 champion. “I feel the alternates had two, three laps that they had been lots higher. Afterwards, you form of acquired caught behind.
“I attempted [to pass Lundgaard] in Flip 1. He went actually aggressive. It was proper, it was good what he did, however yeah, I needed it to be one thing simpler! We had been in a position to get it on the final nook. That was good.”
On this three-stop race, Palou’s tyre sequence was recent alternates, new primaries, used primaries, new primaries. He mentioned the selection for ending in that method was to make sure he had good grip within the occasion of a late warning interval.
Requested if it shocked him that others hadn’t completed the identical, he responded, “It did, it did. For us it was clear.
“We had been struggling a bit bit greater than a number of the guys on used reds within the warm-up [session]. However nonetheless it isn’t like they had been wonderful. We knew that we did not need to use used reds. That is why we began on new alternates, attempt to get the lead, attempt to get an enormous hole, like two, three, 4, seconds, then work on our tempo on blacks. As soon as I noticed the beginning grid with the tyres, we had been like, ‘OK, we’re in a very good place.’
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda Christian Lundgaard, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda Jack Harvey, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda Alexander Rossi, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Picture by: Brett Farmer / Motorsport Images
“Nonetheless, you must do it. If you happen to get caught behind Lundgaard on reds, you are completed, your race is over, since you’ll have extra tyre deg, not get the advantage of leaping 4 seconds, you then’re all the time caught in visitors on the identical technique as his… We knew that since follow, truthfully, that is why we needed to begin on reds. I used to be shocked that not different individuals on the entrance began on reds.”
Within the closing laps, as his most important pursuer O’Ward light on the reds, Palou stretched his benefit to over 15 seconds. As regards to the place his benefit lay, Palou mentioned: “We had extra velocity on sector two, Turns 7-Eight-9-10 on the blacks. On the reds, I used to be nonetheless struggling in comparison with them. We had been nonetheless good there. We made one tenth and a half to 2 tenths. Then we had been actually shut within the different areas.
“It is usually like that. It is robust to do an enormous distinction in Flip 1. Everyone brakes on the identical spot. Being such a slow-speed nook, all people does the identical driving lane. Turns 7-Eight-9 was the largest distinction.”
Palou has now moved into the championship lead, six factors forward of O’Ward and 19 forward of his personal Ganassi team-mate Marcus Ericsson.
