Alex Palou, who is no stranger to celebrating on the victory track, started Sunday’s race in first position and concluded the afternoon with another triumph in his career. However, achieving this result was far from easy.
When the yellow flags were raised on lap 35, various pit strategies divided the pack in half. It remained uncertain until later in the race which approach would be the most advantageous.
Palou belonged to the group of drivers who chose to stay on the track during the first yellow flag. His team, Chip Ganassi Racing, made the decision to prioritize track position, urging him to push to the maximum for the rest of the race and make an extra pit stop later on.
Meanwhile, other drivers leading the pack at that time, such as Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood, chose a different path. They spent the rest of the 95-lap race carefully managing fuel consumption and gradually recovering through the pack.
Reflecting on his race victory, Palou admitted that he considered the strategy very risky. However, due to his loss of three positions in the early laps, the team had no choice but to make the call.
“At the beginning of the race, I wasn’t performing well,” Palou confessed. “Although the car was extremely fast, I couldn’t overtake Kyle [Kirkwood]. That put us in a disadvantageous position.
“The team had to adopt a highly risky strategy, which, in my opinion, was very risky. But it paid off, and I’m really happy that it worked out. Sometimes, a bit of luck is necessary.
“Yes, it was a risk. I mean, it’s motorsport. We knew we had the car to secure P1. At that time, I was in P4. Finishing in P4 today wouldn’t have been a successful race.
“I was aware that it was risky, especially if we managed to open up a five-lap advantage. I knew we would establish a significant lead. However, imagine if we were eight seconds ahead and then a yellow flag was called. That would have been the end for us. We would have to make an extra pit stop compared to everyone else.
“We would have found ourselves at the back of the line, with no chance of overtaking 10 or 15 cars. That’s why it was a bit risky.
“In my mind, I kept questioning if this was the right strategy. When my strategist confirmed it, I thought, ‘Alright, let’s go fast.’ And that’s exactly what we did.”
Throughout the day, Palou led a total of 48 laps, including most of the second half of the race. Herta managed to climb to second place using a different strategy, but lacked the speed to truly challenge Palou.
As the second half of the season begins, the current series champion now holds a 23-point advantage over Will Power, a position that Palou is familiar with.
