After dominating the qualifying session on Saturday, Christian Lundgaard went to the streets of Toronto to seek his very first IndyCar victory ahead of Alex Palou and Colton Herta. Romain Grosjean finished the race in the wall as he approached the halfway mark.
Christian Lundgaard takes his first IndyCar victory. Rookie of the Year last year with a podium on the Indianapolis road circuit, the former student of the Alpine sector concluded in style a weekend in Toronto during which he was above the lot. This Saturday, during a qualifying session disrupted by rain, the driver of the Rahal Letterman Lanigan team took a masterful pole position and converted it into victory this Sunday. A race that started with a crash that involved no less than seven single-seaters, including that of British driver Tom Blomqvist, who replaces Simon Pagenaud at Meyer Shank Racing.
The Poitevin did not respond favorably to medical tests after the concussion suffered at Mid-Ohio and was not allowed to return to the wheel. Strategies were disrupted by this early intervention of the safety car. However, Christian Lundgaard deployed his and was little worried. However, as we approached the halfway point, everything could have changed when Romain Grosjean lost control of his car. On the radio, driver Andretti complained of having seen his steering wheel slip out of his hands. During the restart, Kyle Kirkwood rammed Helio Castroneves’ single-seater, causing another neutralization.
A battle all the way till the end!@lundgaardoff takes the checkered flag on the Streets of Toronto. #INDYCAR // #IndyTO pic.twitter.com/5IPGgerTfS
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) July 16, 2023
Slippery steering wheel for Grosjean, Lundgaard more than perfect
Having made a refueling in this troubled period, Christian Lundgaard had to whip with in particular a school overtaking on Alex Palou, who finished the race with a front wing which held by a thread, consequence of the clash between Kyle Kirkwood and Helio Castroneves, of which he was a collateral victim. The championship leader then acted as a stopper, avoiding vibrations as much as possible on the urban and bumpy circuit of Toronto, allowing Christian Lundgaard to fly away to victory, the first of the Rahal Letterman Lanigan team in IndyCar since that by Takuma Sato during the 2020 edition of the Indianapolis 500 Miles.
Behind the Dane and the Spaniard, Colton Herta climbed onto the podium after resisting the pressure imposed by Will Power, who was betrayed by his fuel consumption forcing him to a stop at the start of the last lap and pushing him back to the 14th rank. With this second place, Alex Palou now has a 117 point lead over Scott Dixon in the championship when Josef Newgarden, fifth this Sunday, is pushed back to 126 units. Differences which could be largely modified as of next weekend with two races in two days on the oval of Iowa.
