Thursday, September 21, 2023

‘We Can Play This Game As Well’ Says Palou After Contact with CGR Teammate Ericsson Results in Early Retirement at Road America

Alex Palou stands on pit-road at Road America.
Alex Palou has his first DNF of the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season in the Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America. Image courtesy of Joe Skibinski / Penske Entertainment

On Lap 3 of the Sonsio Grand Prix from Road America, Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Marcus Ericsson and Alex Palou came together in Turn 5.

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Ericsson’s No. 8 CGR Honda went dove to the inside line as Palou, the reigning NTT IndyCar Series champion, slightly moved down off the corner and the two made slight contact. Despite the incident appearing minor, it was enough as the Palou’s No. 10 Honda suffered an early retirement due to left front suspension damage.

“I think everybody saw that, so yeah,” Palou said, via Peacock. “I haven’t seen it from the outside, but I think he was trying to win the race from the third lap. Yeah, just the car broke, that’s it, game over.”

The outcome gives Palou, the defending winner from Road America, the second last-place finish of his career.

The 25-year-old Spaniard was not concerned about the damage sustained by his car, but the fact that it was his teammate who made contact.

“No, I was surprised that my teammate hit me,” Palou added. “Not that the car broke, it’s a single seater, right? Hard hit like that, it just broke, so bad luck. We can play this game as well, so we’ll see.”

Both of the Ganassi pilots entered the weekend in the top five of points standings with Ericsson slotted in second and Palou in fourth.

Matt Narváez
Matt Narváez
Matthew is a NASCAR contributor apart of the TobyChristie.com team. A fan of racing since 2011, he has had passion for sports journalism since 2015 and is a current Mass Communications student at the University of South Florida.

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