“This one hurts”: Graham Rahal reflects on painful loss to Alex Palou at IMS

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Graham Rahal recently shared his thoughts about his latest race on social media. Rahal had a decent weekend at the Sonsio Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on May 10.

The American driver shared a tweet with his followers later in the day, reflecting on the race and posting a few pictures from the weekend. He also said he was 'hurt' from the loss, with Alex Palou emerging victorious. Rahal wrote on X:

"This one hurts but we have many things to be proud of coming out of this weekend. Some things to learn and get right for the future but overall, a positive weekend for the team. Now it’s time to turn it up and get ready for the big show. 👊#INDYCAR"

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The 36-year-old started the race from second place but finished sixth. He took the lead from the three-time champion, Alex Palou, on Lap 1 and led for a total of 49 laps out of 85. On Lap 58, after the first pit-stop cycle, Palou took the lead as he had the new primary tires. Rahal, on the other hand, used the scuffed alternate tires.

Graham Rahal plummeted down the order as his rivals overtook him by the end of the race. However, throughout the weekend, Rahal showed a strong pace in all the sessions.

Graham Rahal will look to score some more points at the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500, scheduled to take place on May 25 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Prior to that, the drivers will participate in a practice session on May 13.

When Graham Rahal reflected on his missed Indy 500 victory

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Graham Rahal once reflected on his missed Indy 500 win. The victory had slipped from Rahal's hands due to an issue in the pit stop.

The nightmare unfurled during the 2021 Indianapolis 500, where Rahal was on the cusp of victory. The American driver tried to keep his pit stops to a minimum. However, during his final pit stop, the crew failed to secure the rear left tire, which resulted in a crash for Rahal at turn 2.

While in conversation with The Checkered Flag a day after the Indianapolis 500, Graham Rahal shared his thoughts on the race, saying:

"The Indy 500 ends in disappointment.A little more so today because I really think we had them today, I really do. We were good on one more stop, and everybody else needed two."

“I can’t tell you how bad this one stings, but we win as a team, we lose as a team. From a strategy standpoint, we saved fuel, we were kicking their butts on fuel saving, and we were looking really good at the end to maybe even do just one more stop,” he added.