Andretti’s Colton Herta started on pole, but it was Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward who had a smart strategy, taking the win. The action-packed race, filled with caution periods, delivered 90 non-stop laps and introduced a new podium finisher to viewers.
Ferrucci Out
Despite the clear weather over the weekend, a brief period of rain overnight saw the drivers contend with a wet-to-dry warm up session. Nearing the end, Santino Ferrucci had a high speed crash, hurting his wrists and damaging the car. In light of this, A. J. Foyt withdrew the no. 14 car.
Penalties Plagued the Grid
Drivers fought wheel-to-wheel throughout the narrow track, delivering non-stop action. With battles unfolding across the grid, officials were quick to hand out penalties.
Scott Dixon kicked it off, gaining a 6-place grid drop ahead of the weekend for an unapproved engine change. Despite qualifying 11th, this penalty saw Dixon drop to P17.
Kyle Kirkwood, Marcus Armstrong, and Nolan Siegel all received penalties throughout the race. Whilst Kirkwood was able to recover, the penalties for Armstrong and Siegel marked an end to their races.
Tyre Strategy Proved Key
Tyre strategy was a key part of today’s race. With many drivers expecting the hard, primary, compound to be the more favourable tyre, strategy was divided through the grid.
McLaren and Pato O’Ward took a gamble, starting on the softer compound and pitting early. This committed them to a 3-stop race and after an early caution, many drivers joined them.
In contrast, Alex Palou and Scott Dixon went for the opposite. Starting on the harder tyre, they aimed to run long, gain track position and only take two stops.
Early on, it was looking as though the Chip Ganassi racer’s had once again made the right call. But when back-to-back cautions appeared, it was O’Ward who had gotten it right.
In a rare occurrence, Chip Ganassi had failed with their strategy. After finally pitting, Palou and Dixon fell to the back of the grid and were in the thick of the action. Consequently, they were unable to move forward and Palou finished P12 – his first time finishing outside of the top 10 this year (excluding Detroit where he failed to finish).
The overcut also proved powerful around Toronto. Both Dixon and O’Ward capitalised with this – both gaining positions on Palou and VeeKay by staying out an extra lap. It was this move that helped O’Ward secure the victory.
O’Ward Wins Under Caution
The Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto Grand Prix continued it’s legacy of having multiple caution periods. This year saw five caution periods, and for the first time this year, finished under the yellows.
These caution periods proved vital to the drivers strategy – with pit lane closed, some drivers were forced to go long and fuel save. This was costly for the likes of Palou and Dixon.
Scott McLaughlin brought out the first caution on lap 3. Team Penske failed to tighten the wheel nut during his pit stop and it flew off as he was driving – sending McLaughlin into the wall.
Both ECR drivers had moments with the wall too with Christian Rasmussen colliding and spinning – bringing out the second caution period. Later in the race, Alexander Rossi would also meet the wall and a third caution was called.
Following the conclusion of the third caution, David Malukas made a move on the inside of Jacob Abel who then tangled with Josef Newgarden. Abel found himself on top of Newgarden and the likes of Devlin DeFrancesco, Sting Ray Robb, and Callum Ilott were caught up in it. Luckily, they were able to continue, unlike the two who crashed.
With O’Ward leading with a 3-second gap to Rinus VeeKay, pole-sitter Colton Herta was hot on the heels of Kyffin Simpson. Looking as though he’d take the final podium position, Herta was halted by a late caution period. At the back of the grid, O’Ward’s teammate Siegel collided with a struggling Felix Rosenqvist. This led to the race finishing under caution and Simpson saving his P3.
A Shakeup in the Standings?
Toronto sees its fourth winner since its return after Covid-19. Whilst Herta looked to make it back-to-back victories here, O’Ward secured the win, potentially setting up a shake up in the championship standings.
Coming into the weekend, Palou had a 129 point lead ahead of the McLaren driver. But with his 12th place finish only scoring him 21 points, he concedes 30 points to his rival. The victory sees O’Ward marginally close the gap, showing his want for the championship.
With two wins in two consecutive weekends, is Pato O’Ward making a late charge for the championship?
The top 10 for the Toronto Grand Prix are as follows:
Next week, IndyCar goes to the iconic Laguna Seca track for the Java House Grand Prix of Monterey. Can O’Ward continue his high or will Palou return to glory?