The great recovery
In the last week the team Penske had become the center of controversy due to the disqualification and sanctions imposed on its drivers for the incorrect use of push-to-pass in the opening race of the season in St.Petersburg. The team was therefore called to recover for the third round of the championship at Barber Motorsport Park, in Alabamawith the US team's most desired result taking shape: one double. The one who climbed to the top step of the podium was Scott McLaughlincuriously a year after his last success in IndyCar in Alabama, followed by his teammate Will Power and from a rookie like Linus Lundqvistauthor of a phenomenal comeback combined with an impeccable strategy created by Chip Ganassi.
Race report
McLaughlin and Power dominated almost the entire race from the start to the checkered flag, maintaining first and second positions respectively in a GP characterized by many contacts and off-track exits. The first demonstration came on the 6th lap, with the Peace Car came into action due to a collision with the barriers by Fittipaldi, who lost control of his car after contact with O'Ward, who was then penalized with a drive through. In this circumstance, many drivers, except the leading ones, immediately opted for the first pit stop, including Alex Palou, 4th behind Lundgaard. Error on the restart for Dixon, like many others he ended up in the gravel at the exit of turn 5 and slipped to the back of the group. The winner of the last race in Long Beach also for this reason lost the opportunity to defend his leadership in the championship. Power also deceived the curve on lap 23, with Lundgaard taking advantage of the mistake to move into second place. Shortly after, there it is before the three total stops not only for the Dane, but also for the Penske McLaughlin-Power driver duo, with the New Zealander remaining virtually at the top of the standings. What happened halfway through the race was incredible, not just for the second Caution due to the tire lost by Rossi after the pit stop, but also due to the sensational fall of a driver on the track mannequin.
At the 60th of the scheduled 90 laps McLaughlin took the lead of the race firmly again ahead of Power and Lundgaard, with the change of positions due to the pit stop of all three drivers. The third stop, again for the leading trio, occurred ten laps later, with Penske calculating the strategy perfectly, maintaining the lead from the return of Palou (author of two stops), something which did not happen with Lundgaard. In the final, despite a third, short Caution due to a spin by Rasmussen, the Swede Lundqvist took the lead. Author of an amazing comeback from 19th place, and with three pit stops madeChip Ganassi's driver recovered up to 3rd place by taking advantage of Palou's fuel saving, overtaking the Spaniard and flying towards the first podium in IndyCar, won in his sixth race in the category. There is nothing to be done, however, to regain ground on the two Penskes, with McLaughlin returning to victory a year after the success obtained in Alabama in 2023. Dixon, however, loses the lead in the general classification, with IndyCar seeing him as the new driver at the top of the rankings Colton Herta, one point ahead of Power and 2 over Palou. Finally, it is worth highlighting the 21st place for Luca Ghiotto, the first Italian in the series eight years after Luca Filippi. The Vicenza native, without experience with these single-seaters, nevertheless put in a good performance with the Dale Coyne team, all in preparation for the next round in Indianapolis scheduled for May 11thin this case on road circuit and before the big 500 Miglia event, scheduled for May 26th.
Alabama 2024, first come, first served
| POS. | PILOT | TEAM | RPM/GAP |
| 1 | Scott McLaughlin | Penske | 90 laps |
| 2 | Will Power | Penske | +1,319 |
| 3 | Linus Lundqvist | Chip Ganassi | +2,442 |
| 4 | Felix Rosenqvist | McLaren-Hendrick | +4,510 |
| 5 | Alex Palou | Chip Ganassi | +5,369 |
| 6 | Christian Lundgaard | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | +6,050 |
| 7 | Santino Ferrucci | AJ Foyt | +6,605 |
| 8 | Colton Herta | Andretti Global | +7,512 |
| 9 | Marcus Armstrong | Chip Ganassi | +8,037 |
| 10 | Kyle Kirkwood | Andretti Global | +8,557 |
| 11 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | +9.028 |
| 12 | Romain Grosjean | Juncos Hollinger | +9,449 |
| 13 | Jack Harvey | Dale Coyne | +10,126 |
| 14 | Kyffin Simpson | Chip Ganassi | +10,441 |
| 15 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi | +11,362 |
| 16 | Josef Newgarden | Penske | +12,235 |
| 17 | Rinus Veekay | Ed Carpenter | +13,509 |
| 18 | Marcus Ericsson | Andretti Global | +13.843 |
| 19 | Tom Blomqvist | Meyer Shank | +14,575 |
| 20 | Agustin Canapino | Juncos Hollinger | +14,680 |
| 21 | Luca Ghiotto | Dale Coyne | +15,680 |
| 22 | Pato O'Ward | Arrow McLaren | +16.446 |
| 23 | Theo Pourchaire | Arrow McLaren | +1 turn |
| 24 | Christian Rasmussen | Ed Carpenter | +1 turn |
| 25 | Sting Ray Robb | AJ Foyt | Withdrawn |
| 26 | Alexander Rossi | Arrow McLaren | Withdrawn |
| 27 | Pietro Fittipaldi | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Withdrawn |
#Alabama #McLaughlinPower #it39s #Penske #double #21st #Ghiotto
