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The NTT IndyCar Series finally opened its 2021 campaign with the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on Sunday and it had a surprise winner. Alex Palou, in his first race with Chip Ganassi Racing, bested two of the top IndyCar drivers in just his 15th start as Will Power and Scott Dixon rounded out the podium in second and third places.
Starting from P3, Palou, from Sant Antonio de Vilamajor, Spain, won by 0.4016 of a second - the closest margin of victory in the history of this race. Driving the No. 10 SEGI.TV Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, Palou gave the manufacturer a clean sweep of the weekend’s events after Max Verstappen in the Red Bull Racing Honda took the checkers in the Formula 1 race in Imola, Italy and the Jeff Procter-led Honda Off-Road Racing Team claimed the Class 7 victory in the SCORE International San Felipe 250 in Baja, Mexico.
Seven wins in 2020 had brought Honda the company’s ninth NTT IndyCar Series Manufacturers’ Championship and third consecutive drivers' title, with Honda ace Scott Dixon prevailing to clinch his sixth championship, highest among all active drivers in the series.
Palou’s rookie season in IndyCar was winless, and his only podium came at the REV Group Grand Prix at Road America Race 1 last July, with a P3.
“We knew we’re with the best team and had a great car today,” said Palou during the post-race interview. “So we knew a win was possible. Everyone on the team did an amazing job. The team was telling me on the radio, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing’. It was one of those days when everything went well. We had good fuel mileage, good tire management, and good pace. This team is amazing. Honda gave us a great engine. Honda and Chip Ganassi Racing, what else can I ask for?”
The NTT IndyCar Series season started with a bang
A crowd estimated at 20,000 saw the IndyCar race get off to a wild start when three-time Barber Motorsports Park race winner Josef Newgarden got loose exiting Turn 5 and spun. Teammates Colton Herta and Ryan Hunter-Reay, along with Felix Rosenqvist and Max Chilton all suffered damage. Newgarden and Hunter-Reay were the only cars that could not continue.
“I got loose coming over the hill,” Newgarden said. “I thought I had the car and touched the grass, and I think once I touched the grass, it pitched me sideways. I feel really bad for anyone that got involved in that. Obviously, my mess created a bigger mess.”
Overall, there were only two cautions (eight laps total), the second coming when IndyCar ‘rookie’ and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson spun on Lap 10. He finished P19 in his debut event.
The 24-year old Palou now heads to Florida for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg next Sunday as the IndyCar points leader, 12 points ahead of Team Penske’s Will Power. The race was postponed from its original date in March due to COVID concerns, but will now host up to 20,000 fans. The green flag is expected at noon, with television coverage on NBC.
