Race Report: 2021 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix

Session Notes:

• Race 2 of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader was 70 laps on the 2.35-mile Raceway at Belle Isle Park totaling 164.22 miles. The pit window was 25–28 laps under green-flag conditions.
• The ambient temperature prior to the green flag was 80 degrees with 62% relative humidity and partly cloudy skies. The track temperature was 100 degrees according to Firestone engineers.
• Pole sitter Josef Newgarden led the field to green, but a melee further back brought out the race’s first caution on Lap 1 when Max Chilton caught air off the back of James Hinchcliffe’s car through Turn 3. The No. 59 Chevrolet ended up stopped in Turn 4 with damage to the front wing.
• The race’s second yellow flag flew when Jimmie Johnson stopped on course after spinning the No. 48 Honda in Turn 2.
• The third and final full-course caution began on Lap 59 when Romain Grosjean stopped on course with a small brake fire burning on the No. 51 Honda. The yellow flag set up a restart that ended up a determining factor in the race.
• On aging Firestone Firehawk alternate tires, Newgarden led the field on the Lap 63 restart while Pato O’Ward restarted fifth. By Lap 65, he had advanced to the second position and trailed Newgarden by one second. On Lap 68, O’Ward passed Newgarden for the lead and stayed out front for the final two laps, leading a total of three laps en route to victory.
• The win marked O’Ward’s second victory of 2021 and the second victory of his NTT IndyCar Series career. O’Ward became the season’s first repeat winner after previously winning the XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway in May.
• The victory was the ninth series win for Arrow McLaren SP, its last coming at Texas in May.
• Newgarden’s second-place finish was his third runner-up result in 2021.
• Alex Palou finished third, his best result at Belle Isle and fourth podium finish of 2021.
• With his victory, O’Ward assumed the championship lead with a single-point advantage over Palou through eight races.
• Next up for the series is the REV Group Grand Prix at Road America on June 20, 2021.

Session Notes:

• Prior to the start of qualifying for Race 2, the ambient temperature at Belle Isle was 74 degrees. The track temperature was 81 degrees according to Firestone engineers.
• Two penalties were issued and served during the Firestone Fast 12:
  • Scott Dixon served a drive-through penalty for unapproved work to the No. 9 Honda during the impound period.
  • Santino Ferrucci brought out a red flag coming to the checkered flag on his final lap when he made contact with the wall in Turn 13. He was penalized his two fastest laps.
• The session-ending red flag also affected Dixon, Simon Pagenaud, Alexander Rossi and Max Chilton. All four drivers had their final laps invalidated due to the red flag being displayed. Due to the invalidation, Dixon dropped from third to sixth in the final order.

Session Notes:

• Race 1 of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader was 70 laps on the 2.35-mile street course totaling 164.22 miles.
• All cars but those of Scott Dixon, James Hinchcliffe, Graham Rahal and Alex Palou started on red-sidewalled Firestone Firehawk alternate tires.
• Just before the green flag, the ambient temperature was 80 degrees with 69% relative humidity and partly cloudy skies. The track temperature was 113 degrees according to Firestone engineers.
• The race’s first caution period occurred on Lap 25 when Felix Rosenqvist went straight into the tire barrier and concrete wall in Turn 6, necessitating assistance from the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team. The extraction of Rosenqvist from his race car and subsequent track repairs created a red-flag condition for one hour, 18 minutes and 36 seconds. Rosenqvist was awake and alert at the infield care center and was subsequently transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.
• After the restart, the race ran caution free until Lap 64 when Romain Grosjean made contact with the wall in Turn 9. INDYCAR elected to issue a second red flag to allow for a green-flag finish. Without the need for track repairs, this second red flag was just seven minutes and 29 seconds in duration.
• Despite the short red flag, the leading No. 12 Chevrolet of Will Power was not able to restart for the race’s resumption. This allowed Marcus Ericsson to take the race lead and the eventual victory.
• Ericsson’s victory was his first in NTT IndyCar Series competition. He became the fourth first-time winner in 2021 and the seventh different winner in seven races. The effort marked Chip Ganassi Racing’s 116th Indy car victory.
• A second-place finish for Rinus VeeKay was his second podium result in seven starts this year.
• Pole sitter Pato O’Ward finished third, his best Belle Isle finish and his third podium result of the season.
• The series will complete the doubleheader weekend with a second 70-lap race at 12:45 p.m. EDT Sunday, June 13. Race 2 qualifying will occur at 9 a.m. Sunday.

Session Notes:

• Detroit’s qualifying featured an abbreviated version of the NTT IndyCar Series’ traditional knockout qualifying format, with two rounds instead of three. Broken up into two groups, the top six from Group 1 and Group 2 of the first qualifying round advanced to the Firestone Fast 12, which decided the pole winner as well as the first six rows of the starting grid. Group 1 drivers outside the top six filled the odd-numbered positions from 13 through 25, while Group 2 filled the even-numbered positions from 14 through 24.
• Pato O’Ward won his second NTT P1 Award of 2021 and the third of his IndyCar career. He was previously on pole at Barber Motorsports Park in April and Road America in June 2020.
• O’Ward’s achievement marked the 10th pole position for Arrow McLaren SP in Indy car competition.
• Throughout the three qualifying segments, there was a single red flag when Dalton Kellett spun the No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet as Group 1 was checkered. Kellett was penalized his two fastest laps.
• Next up in Detroit is Race 1 of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader, set to begin at 1:05 p.m. EDT with live coverage on NBC.

Session Notes:

• At the start of the Detroit weekend’s only practice, the ambient temperature was 84 degrees and the track temperature was 119 degrees according to Firestone engineers. Due to the temperate and humidity, INDYCAR has mandated the use of an airflow scoop affixed to the top of the aeroscreen for both 70-lap races.
• The 75-minute session was slowed by single red flag at the 14-minute mark for two nearly simultaneous incidents:
  • Jimmie Johnson spun the No. 48 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda in Turn 3. The car was restarted by the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team and Johnson was able to continue.
  • The No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet of Scott McLaughlin made front-end contact with the tire barrier in Turn 5, necessitating assistance from the safety team. McLaughlin exited his race car without assistance and it was subsequently removed from the track.
• Many other drivers experienced close calls, including various spins and off-track excursions that managed to avoid contact with the concrete walls or tire barriers.
• Will Power’s final lap on track proved the fastest of the session, edging out Sebastien Bourdais by 0.1523 seconds.