Race Report: 2021 Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey

Session Notes:

• The 2021 Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey was 95 laps on the 11-turn, 2.238-mile WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca road course totaling 214.51 miles.
• The pit road speed limit was 50 mph and the pit window was 28–33 laps under green-flag conditions.
• Fifteen minutes prior to the scheduled green-flag time, the ambient temperature was 73 degrees with 49% relative humidity and sunny skies. The track temperature was 101 degrees according to Firestone engineers.
• At 12:23 p.m. PDT, grand marshal Alfonso Ribeiro gave the command to start engines. All 27 cars started and were rolling on the grid.
• Pole sitter Colton Herta took the green flag and led the field up the hill into Turn 2. Felix Rosenqvist spun in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet in Turn 3 but was able to continue.
• On Lap 2, Alexander Rossi spun in Turn 5 after his No. 27 Andretti Autosport Honda made contact with the car of Herta while battling for the race lead. The incident brought out the only full-course caution of the race, which lasted until the conclusion of Lap 4 when green-flag racing resumed.
• On Lap 10, Will Power pitted the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet with an apparent mechanical issue, dropping him out of contention.
• With all of the leaders employing a three-stop strategy, the final stint of the race featured Herta up front chased by championship leader Alex Palou in the second position and Rookie of the Year contender Romain Grosjean in the third position. Graham Rahal and championship contender Pato O'Ward completed the top five.
• Herta took the checkered flag with a 1.9747-second advantage over Palou, securing his fifth career NTT IndyCar Series victory and his second consecutive win at Laguna Seca.
• Palou's second-place finish allowed the Chip Ganassi Racing driver to gain points over O'Ward in the championship standings.
• Unofficial points after the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey:
  1. Palou: 517
  2. O'Ward: 482 (-35)
  3. Newgarden: 469 (-48)
  4. Dixon: 445 (-72)
  5. Ericsson: 430 (-87)
  6. Herta: 402 (-115)
     

Session Notes:

• Warm-up for the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey was 30 minutes in duration.
• Nineteen minutes into the session, Callum Ilott went off course and made subsequent contact with the tire barrier in Turn 6 leading to an eight-minute red flag. Ilott was penalized five minutes for causing a red flag.
• At the conclusion of the session, Alexander Rossi was fastest at 1:12.8632.
  

Session Notes:

• Qualifying for the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey consisted of three rounds, culminating in the Firestone Fast Six.
• In the first round of qualifying, each group received 10 minutes of track time. The fastest six cars from each group advanced to Round 2, while the remaining cars were assigned positions 13–27. The first group was assigend the odd-numbered positions while the second group was assigned the even-numbered positions.
• During Round 2, the 12 advancing cars received 10 minutes of track time. The fastest six advanced to the Firestone Fast Six shootout while the remaining six cars were ranked in positions 7–12 based on their fastest laps.
• The Firestone Fast Six featured six minutes of guaranteed green-flag time. At the end of the session, the cars were ranked 1–6 based on their fastest laps with the fastest overall winning the NTT P1 Award.
• Several penalties were handed out during qualifying:
  • Round 1 Group 2: Callum Ilott was penalized five minutes of track time for taking a lap after the checkered flag. He will serve the penalty at the end of the warm-up session.
  • Round 2: Graham Rahal lost his fastest lap for causing a local yellow that affected another competitor. Oliver Askew's fifth lap was invalidated for failing to slow through a local yellow.
  • Firestone Fast Six: Pato O'Ward was stripped of his fastest lap after spinning in the Corkscrew, bringing out a local yellow that affected another competitor. Will Power's third lap was invalidated for failing to slow through a local yellow.
• Colton Herta's 1:10.7994 was the fastest lap of the Firestone Fast Six, securing the Andretti Autosport driver his second consecutive pole at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
  

Session Notes:

• Like the weekend's first practice at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Practice 2 was 45 minutes in duration.
• Seven minutes into the session, Dalton Kellett triggered a lengthy red flag when he made contact with the barrier in Turn 4. The AJ Foyt Racing driver was assessed a five-minute time penalty for causing a red flag. The session resumed 12 minutes later with 26 minutes remaining on the clock.
• A second red flag ate up time near the end of practice when Rinus VeeKay made contact with the Turn 4 barrier with 11 minutes to go. The stoppage lasted seven minutes, and Practice 2 resumed with less than four minutes to go. VeeKay was assessed a five-minute time penalty for causing a red flag.
• At the conclusion of practice, Scott McLaughlin's 1:10.8755 in the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet was fastest overall. It was McLaughlin's first time topping an NTT IndyCar Series session.
  

Session Notes:

• The Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey race weekend began with a 45-minute practice session on the 11-turn, 2.258-mile WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca road course.
• Twenty-seven minutes into practice, Helio Castroneves ran off course in the No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing Honda and came to rest outside of Turn 2. He required assistance from the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team but was able to resume. Castroneves was assessed a five-minute time penalty for causing a red flag.
• With less then 10 seconds remaining on the clock, a red flag was displayed for Scott McLaughlin whose No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet had stopped on course in Turn 6.
• Josef Newgarden's 1:11.7125 was the fastest lap of the session.