Marcus Ericsson has claimed his 1st IndyCar win at the Detroit Grand Prix, his 1st win in any series since 2013. The 30-year-old Swede recovered from 15th on the grid to claim an epic victory in a race filled with drama, to add to his 1 previous IndyCar podium, at the same circuit, 2 years ago. Ericsson became the 7th IndyCar winner in 7 races this season, with Alex Palou, Colton Herta, Scott Dixon, Patricio O’Ward, Rinus Veekay and Helio Castroneves, the other drivers to have been on the top step in 2021.
Written by Danny Jones, edited by Janvi Unni
The race was dramatically red-flagged on lap 25, after it appeared the Arrow McLaren SP of Felix Rosenqvist, had its throttle stuck open after a downshift, and the Swede careered into the wall at high speed, almost launching over the barrier, before nestling in on top of the tyre wall. What looked like a horrific accident, with the front of the car separating from the rest of the body, Rosenqvist seems thankfully okay, but it is not clear whether he will be fit to race in Race 2 at Detroit Belle Isle tomorrow.
More drama occurred when ex-F1 driver Romain Grosjean strangely crashed into the wall with just 6 laps to go in the race, bringing out a 2nd red flag, so the race would be able to finish under green flag conditions. However, the chaos didn’t stop there. The extremely hot conditions meant that long-time race leader Will Power, was denied an almost certain victory as his engine wouldn’t re-fire after the red flag and was unable to get going, until he had been lapped by the entire field.
Rinus Veekay and Patricio O’Ward rounded out the podium, with the 2 youngsters engaged in an enthralling last lap duel, where Veekay was able to just hold off the Mexican. Championship leader Alex Palou had a disappointing afternoon, only finishing in 15th position, which allowed O’Ward to move within 15 points of the Spaniard, and overtake Scott Dixon in the championship standings, ahead of Round 2 in Detroit on Sunday.
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