In the 109th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, Spanish driver Alex Palou won the main race for the first time in his career. In the latter laps of the race, the 28-year-old easily overtook Marcus Ericsson of Andretti Global and maintained his lead until the very end.
Palou is the first Spanish driver to win the coveted race. To applause from the audience, Palou stopped his car on the overall track, leapt on top of it, and raised his arms in the air shortly after winning.
“I cannot believe it,” Palou said, speaking to reporters. “What an amazing day. What an amazing race.”
Due to mild rain and multiple yellow flags, the start was delayed. There were 14 drivers, and the lead changed hands 22 times.
When Ryan Hunter-Reay struck Marco Andretti, grandson of the legendary Formula One driver Mario Andretti, he only made it four laps.
Scott McLaughlin also crashed out after losing control early on, and Kyle Larson’s effort to finish the Coca-Cola 600 and the Indianapolis 500 on the same day was cut short by a collision
Over the famous 200 laps of a 2.5-mile oval track at the Indianapolis Brickyard, Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing averaged 168.9 mph. Ericsson, the 2022 winner, finished 0.682 seconds behind, and American David Malukas came in third.
Felix Rosenqvist of Sweden came in fifth, and Pata O’Ward of Mexico came in fourth. Pole-sitter Robert Shwartzman’s challenge ended on lap 89 when he collided with members of his pit crew, but no one was seriously injured.
Takuma Sato, a two-time champion, led for 51 laps before losing the race after crashing into his pit. After the collision on lap 91, Larson managed to get out of his vehicle safely and was then given the all-clear to fly to Charlotte to participate in the NASCAR event.
As is customary for all Indianapolis 500 winners, Palou, who is originally from Barcelona, gulped milk a few minutes later. He remarked, “Best milk I’ve ever tasted,”.
Second-place finisher Ericsson was followed by AJ Foyt Racing’s David Malukas in third.
Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin slid out during the pace lap while warming up his tires. Then, after being pushed out of a tight field, Marco Andretti struck the wall on the fourth lap. Andretti is the grandson of Mario Andretti, a legendary figure in racing.
Kyle Larson, who had planned to compete in the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 and the Indianapolis 500 in North Carolina on the same day, finished in 27th place after spinning out and getting into a multi-car accident. He had more time to get to the Charlotte race thanks to the early departure.
