The IndyCar drivers, Felix Rosenqvist and Will Power, left the Grand Prix of Portland with second and third places respectively, but their post-race focus was on the difficulties of track traffic, specifically the management of the circulation of lapped vehicles.
Rosenqvist, driving the #60 Honda of Meyer Shank Racing, started on pole and led for 33 laps. However, he fell to second place due to an overcut strategy by the winner Alex Palou and a tight pit exit that made him collide with the team of rookie Mick Schumacher.
While acknowledging Palou’s superior pace, Rosenqvist did not hesitate to criticize the management of lapped vehicle traffic. “Sometimes you lose three seconds because of a lapped car, while at other times you gain three seconds. It feels like a race among lapped vehicles,” said Rosenqvist.
Will Power, who was driving the #26 of Andretti Global, referred to a confusion in radio communications that caused him to lose valuable time at the end of the race. After remaining on track with worn tires, he found himself surrounded by traffic, losing nearly three seconds to a vehicle racing alongside him, despite it being lapped.
“I think it’s ridiculous to have rules from the 70s. If IndyCar doesn’t want to act, there should be an agreement among drivers to improve the situation,” emphasized Power, aligning with Rosenqvist’s criticisms.
Palou’s final triumph took advantage of the pit stops and traffic to secure victory, although, in the post-race press conference, the expectations for changes to traffic rules during preseason were not optimistic. Rosenqvist stated, “Nothing will happen,” while Power added that the same discussion occurs year after year.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_7539650aefbd7c4b5d255e84786fc6ed3a518a68