We are halfway through the last stretch of races and the INDYCAR paddock has taken its place in the capital of the United States, Washington, D.C.. Up next is the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington D.C. to celebrate 250 years of independence from the United Kingdom. Here is a quick overview of what we have to look forward to this weekend.
Let’s talk about the track.
Since it is a new track, there is not much we know about how it drives. As we have seen last week in Markham it can become quite hectic. The track itself is placed on the National Mall, with the start/finish straight being right in front of the Capitol. Drivers face racing down iconic streets such as Pennsylcania Avenue NW and Independence Avenue SW. They also head past monumental buildings like the National Archives. This all means that the track is driven anti-clockwise which will bring on different kinds of challenges. The drivers will be out on track a lot to gain as much information as possible before qualifying and the race. So keep a look out for all the action happening on track.
The whole weekend will be a very big spectacle to celebrate the 250th anniversary of The United States as we know it today. The fanzones will be around some of the monumental buildings. The National Gallery of Art, the National Museum of the American Indian and The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum are all within the “Stripes” fanzone. The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and The National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden will be in the “Stars” fanzone.
What to look forward to in this race
Heading into this weekend there is not much change at the top, Álex Palou is still comfortably leading the championship. Looking behind him, who can come out on top between Kyle Kirkwood, David Malukas and Christian Lundgaard? The trio are separated by just six points and each have had strong races this year. Is there a chance one of them can bring the fight to Palou, or will he walk away with the championship again? He can not win it yet this race but he can create a good points gap heading into the final three races.
That is the top of the table, but if we look towards the bottom of the championship there is a very interesting fight happening to stay out of the bottom spot. As there is currently one point between Sting Ray Robb and Mick Schumacher, in favour of the latter. He will try everything to stay out of the bottom spot. Maybe even try and get up above one of the other rookies in the field, Collet. Seeing as Collet is only seven points ahead of Schumacher.
Schedule
The schedule for the weekend is as follows. Please note that times are in CEST.
Loads to look forward to this weekend, both at the top of the championship but also at the bottom. Here is to the first of many Washington, D.C. Grand Prix’s.