Will Power has returned to the IndyCar podium for a second time this season with a P2 after being in the hunt at the Detroit Grand Prix.
The Toowoomba born reigning champion made it his fourth top-ten finish for the year to sit eighth after six rounds, 101 points in arrears of the weekends victor and still series leader, Chip Ganassi’s Alex Palou.
The Spaniard and the Aussie led for a good chunk of the race, but Power almost got his nose in front at the pointy end as a series of consistent yellow flags saw the two battle it out to an eventual 1.184s margin on a two stop strategy.
Arrows McLaren driver Felix Rosenqvist took out P3 ahead of CGR’s Scott Dixon, after contact with Power knocked him off the podium.
Power celebrates his second podium of 2023 at the Detroit Street circuit. Image: Jake Galstad/LAT Images
Although the two-time Aussie champion started the race in P7, he has a solid history of pulling through the pack on street races, and his tyre choice saw him able to take some time at the front of the field in the 100 lap race.
Starting on the longer lasting harder compound primary tyres, Power had pushed up to P3 by lap 20 before switching to the grippier alternate softs, where the pit cycle had him in the lead until Palou ran down the Penske Chevrolet driver on the primary’s on Lap 56.
Towards the end of the race, Power was in the frame for a pass to retake the lead, but some contact with Dixon at the hairpin saw him have a scare with his left side tyres getting some air.
“It was a great day, we had a good strategy there with the alternate tires and tried everything to get Alex (Palou),” Power said.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t know Dixon was on my inside, but I didn’t see the replay. I hope I didn’t do any damage to him and affect his race.
Power and Dixon would share a hairy moment at the hairpin which saw the Kiwi drop from the podium spots. Image: Michael L. Levitt / LAT Images
“Great day for the Verizon Chevy. Would love to get another step up on the podium. Seconds aren’t what you look back on when you lose a championship.
“You had to be aggressive today to keep position and get position. This is IndyCar these days. So tough, so many good drivers. You fight for every inch.”
Fellow Trans Tasman competitors Scott McLaughlin and Marcus Armstrong ended up taking P7 and P8 respectively, some 10 and 11 seconds off the leader, with McLaughlin not able to cash in on his P2 start, with the alternate tyres not giving him the necessary speed at the jump.
The Kiwi did manage to fight back into P5, before yet another moment of contact with Romain Grosjean in 2023 ruined his charge at the pit exit, with the Frenchman cutting him off in the apex of Turn 1.
McLaughlin at the pit exit where he had yet another brush with Grosjean. Image: Michael L. Levitt / LAT Images
“The incident with Grosjean basically destroyed our day…getting into turn 1, the pit exit is a little bit awkward, but he just drove straight for the apex,” the Penske Kiwi said.
“I was already committed, braking as deep as I could, and he just drove straight to the apex. I had nowhere to go. It’s the duty of all of us to get out of that area cleanly and I don’t think he cared where I was and turned across my nose.
“It is what it is. That Gallagher Chevy was fast. We hammered through those last few restarts. I think we started 12th and came through to seventh. It was definitely a reasonable recovery but overall, pretty gutted with the day.”
For the CGR rookie in Armstrong, he was able to match his best IndyCar finish of P8, which he also achieved at the Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Armstrong equaled his best finish of P8 at Detroit in the fifth race of his rookie season. Image: LAT Images
After an intense few weeks following the epic running of the 107th Indy 500, the drivers will enjoy a weekend off before heading to Elkhart Lake in Wisconsin, with a 55 lap June 16-18 visit to Road America for the Sonsio Grand Prix.
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