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.
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.”
.@alexpalou is off-track and the yellow flag is out again for this incident between teammates.
The defending @roadcamerica race winner is done for the day.
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📲: INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA – https://t.co/vyuISIyifv#INDYCAR // #SonsioGP pic.twitter.com/LEZlU7BEGy— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) June 12, 2022
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.
