Milwaukee Mile, Race 1: O’Ward wins, Power 43 points behind Palou | FP

Nine years after the last race held on the Milwaukee Mile circuit, the first of the two events scheduled for this weekend provided a spectacle for IndyCar fans with continuous changes in the standings at each pit stop. The Mexican emerged in the end for the third time this season Pato O’Wardwho climbed onto the top step of the podium ahead of Will PowerThe Penske team driver, winner of the last race, further reduced the gap to Alex Paloustill leader of the standings after the 5th place in the afternoon in the United States but with an advantage of 43 points. Finally, it is worth highlighting the great performance of Conor Daly: starting from 25th position, the American recovered to 3rd place, returning to the podium for the first time since 2016.

Race report

The first part of the race saw Scott McLaughlin maintain the lead after starting from pole position, with Lundqvist immediately behind him after overtaking Malukas at the start. Thanks to the track being only 1.6 km long, the first lappings occurred already on lap 20, with the New Zealander losing the position to the Swedish rookie during the overtaking phases. However, during the first pit stops around lap 60, Lundqvist lost the chance to maintain the lead due to a mechanics error during the tyre change, with the standings turned upside down: the strategy in fact rewarded Arrow McLaren, with O’Ward the new leader ahead of Herta and McLaughlin. After Herta overtook the Mexican, again taking advantage of the difficulties with the lapped cars, the first Pace Car came out on lap 84 due to Legge’s spin, who was good at maintaining control of the car without hitting the barriers. An episode that nevertheless pushed many drivers to make a second pit stop, with the exception of McLaughlin, who thus returned to the top ahead of Herta and O’Ward with the progressive comeback of Palou and Power, respectively 7th and 10th. In the following laps, however, O’Ward took over, once again leading the standings and with a wider advantage over his pursuers, to the point of maintaining first place even after the third pit stop, which occurred shortly before the contact between Newgarden and Ericsson. The episode, in addition to generating the second caution, also allowed Palou and Power to climb to second and third position, for a new change in the standings. From that moment on, there was no further upheaval in the top-3 until lap 186, that is, until the fourth and final pit stop. Precisely at this point, the Pace Car came in for the third and final occasion following the loss of Herta’s front tire, not fixed correctly by the Andretti team mechanic. New caution and last waltz of pit stops, but with O’Ward still in the lead, this time ahead of Ferrucci and Power, with Palou 7th. Finally, the last 30 laps were spectacular: while Palou climbed up to the final fifth position, Ferrucci lost the podium zone in favor of Power and, above all, Conor Daly. Called by the Juncos Hollinger team to replace Agustin Canapino, the American completed a sensational comeback from 25th place, thus obtaining a podium in IndyCar that had been missing since 2016. Third victory of the season, instead, for O’Ward, with Power who thanks to this 2nd place reduces the gap from Palou, still at the top of the standings but with a 43-point advantage with two races to go.

Milwaukee Mile 2024, Race 1: Finishing Order

Next appointment

Unlike tonight’s event, the second race of the weekend at the Milwaukee Mile will start at a different and more convenient time for Italian fans, who will be able to watch the penultimate round of this season once again on Sky Sports F1but this time at 8:55pm tonight.