Pato O’Ward did not have a strategically sound career; next week he will have a rematch at Road America
O’Ward Duckof the team Arrow McLaren SP, finished in fifth position in Detroitseventh date of the championship of the IndyCar. The race was won by Willl Power.
With this result, O’Ward Duck placed third in the most important single-seater championship in the USA. The Mexican pilot feels that strategically the race was left to duty. Nevertheless. it was good enough to keep him in the Top 5 and score big points.
the australian Will Power (Team Penske) This Sunday he achieved his first victory of the current season of the IndyCar Seriesof which he is the new leader, by winning the Detroit Grand Prixdisputed in the urban circuit of Belle Isle.
Will PowerThe 41-year-old 2014 champion scored his 39th win in the series and his first since last year’s GMR Grand Prix in Indianapolis. He won Detroit, after starting from sixteenth place, ahead of the American Alexander Rossi (Andretti Autosport) and the New Zealander Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing).
It was an intense duel against Rossi in the last 10 laps: Rossi was attacking on the hard tire and Power was defending on the soft, which was already very worn, but he took advantage of it to keep his distance. In the end, Alexander lacked laps to win, after an impeccable drive and a wise strategy, just like Power’s –the first three started behind Pato and never fought on the track-.
Rossi will be a partner with O’Ward from 2023 in the organization of Arrow McLaren SP; it is speculated that Alex Palou He could take the car of Felix Rosenqvist, current partner of the Monterrey native and who finished 10th in Detroit.
The Spanish Alex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing) started from eighteenth place and managed to come back to sixth, almost 15 seconds behind the winner and just behind O’Ward Duck and ahead of the recent winner of the Indy500, the Swedish Marcus Ericsson (Chip Ganassi Racing), seventh at 40.8 and who gives Will Power the general leadership of the championship.
Power commands with 255 points. Ericsson follows with 252, O’Ward with 243 and Palou with 241.
The American Josef Newgarden (Team Penske)who started from pole position, signed fourth place 10.6 seconds behind Will Power.
The championship resumes on Sunday in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, with the competition in the beautiful and challenging Road America.