David Malukas owns up to his mistake after taking out championship leader Alex Palou at Detroit GP

David Malukas has taken responsibility for the on-track incident that ended Alex Palou’s race during the Detroit Grand Prix. The 23-year-old rear-ended the championship leader, ending both their chances to score substantial points on the Michigan streets.

The AJ Foyt Racing driver, who had qualified in second place for the race, rammed into Palou on a restart during the 72nd lap, as both drivers approached Turn One of the narrow street circuit. Malukas appeared to have braked a few yards too late and clattered into the rear of the Chip Ganassi driver's car.

However, following the race's conclusion, he shared a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account to accept the blame for the incident. Quoting a video of the crash that ended Alex Palou’s chase for a race win, Malukas wrote:

“No intention here. I f****d up. Locked my fronts. Sorry to @AlexPalou and the #10 crew.”

The Detroit Grand Prix is largely synonymous with frequent racing accidents, and Palou and Malukas were not the only drivers involved in such incidents. Earlier, Team Penske star Scott McLaughlin also braked late and clattered into Nolan Siegel, earning him a drive-through penalty, much like the one handed to Malukas.

The collision with Palou wasn’t without its effect on the drivers’ championship, as race winner Kyle Kirkwood clawed back substantial points to move into third place, behind Pato O’Ward, who sits in second.

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Alex Palou reacts after the incident with Malukas

Alex Palou shared his thoughts on the incident that ended his race during the Detroit Grand Prix. The 28-year-old was barreled into by David Malukas as both cars snaked into the first turn of the street circuit.

The Chip Ganassi Racing driver, who had been on an impeccable run of form throughout the season so far, was forced to retire from the race with severe damage to his front wing and the front end of his car. Following the incident, he took to the media to share his thoughts.

Speaking in a video shared to X by IndyCar on FOX, Alex Palou said:

“Yeah, I haven't seen it yet, but for sure somebody hit me from behind. Very unfortunate. We did an amazing recovery this weekend. We didn’t really have much pace at the beginning, and I thought we were running well enough to try and sneak into the podium at the end. It doesn’t feel great, but there’s nothing we could have done there, I think.”

The retirement for the Barcelona native was his first of the 2025 season. The unsavory incident also adds to the narrative of what has been loosely dubbed the ‘post-Indy 500 winning curse’ — a trend where drivers, in their first race after an Indy 500 triumph, struggle to record any meaningful results. In the last 25 years, only four drivers — including Juan Pablo Montoya in 2000 — have recorded a podium finish following a victory at the Brickyard event.

Alex Palou will now look to shift his focus to the upcoming Bommarito Automotive Group 500 race, an event where he finished fourth during the 2024 edition.