Detroit GP – Race 2: Bourdais at the End of the Suspense

The second IndyCar race in Detroit once again provided its share of twists and turns. The Frenchman Sébastien Bourdais stood out due to his patience in the first half of the race and his resilience under pressure in the second half.

The race stopped on the 68th of the 70 scheduled laps, after more than 2 hours of racing.

A departure in the order of the championship

The bad weather continues in Detroit this Sunday. It is raining and the air temperature is 11 degrees. The weather conditions are forcing the race management to cancel the qualifications. For the second time this year, the drivers will start in the order of their championship standings. Juan Pablo Montoya and Will Power are in the lead, Simon Pagenaud and Sébastien Bourdais are 9th and 10th, while the third Frenchman, Tristan Vautier, is in the 23rd and last place.

Driving with the care of a responsible family man

The beginning of the race is relatively calm. The track is drying, and all drivers start on grooved tires. The concrete surface is still very slippery. On the 3rd lap, Montoya is ahead of Power and Newgarden. The track is improving, and Montoya is widening the gap over his pursuers.

In the 6th lap, Carlos Munoz, the winner of race 1, suffers a breakdown of his Honda engine. He was in 5th place after starting 10th on the grid. From the back of the grid, Sage Karam puts on a show and climbs up to the 13th place.

The rain reappears around the 15th lap and Will Power closes in on Montoya, the race leader. The two men are in a league of their own and have a 16-second lead over the third-place contender, American Joseph Newgarden.

Shortly after the first round of pit stops, Will Power experiences a gearbox issue on lap 27. He has to return to the pits, leaving Montoya alone in the lead.

Combattez !

Beyond the 30th lap, the track dries out again and lap times improve. On the 37th lap, Rodolfo Gonzalez causes the first race neutralization after coming to a halt in a tire wall. This first yellow flag marks the start of hostilities, with a much different race scenario; much more aggressive.

All the drivers take the opportunity to stop and refuel. Dixon and Bourdais get the better of Montoya on the pit exit. They follow Conor Daly, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and Will Power, who stayed on the track. Bourdais is the first driver on slick tires with Montoya.

At the restart, on the 42nd lap, Luca Filippi and Stefano Coletti lost control of their respective cars at two different locations. On the 50th lap, Joseph Newgarden hit the concrete wall violently. Sebastien Bourdais found himself in the lead with less than 20 laps remaining. On the 54th lap, Sage Karam caused a new caution after an overly optimistic braking maneuver. Then, with 12 laps to go, a new Safety Car entered the track when Charlie Kimball sent his teammate Scott Dixon into the tire wall.

At the restart, Bourdais leads ahead of Montoya and Sato, two of the most fiery drivers on the grid. They are followed by Rahal, Pagenaud, and the surprising Vautier, who started last.

A new yellow flag is waved 9 laps from the end due to debris on the track. At the restart, Tristan Vautier hits Will Power, who loses control of his car and collides with his teammate Helio Castroneves. The race officials bring out the red flag, allowing the track marshals to clear the numerous debris while the cars are immobilized in the pit lane.

After completing 64 laps, the drivers set off for just over 3 more minutes of racing. Sébastien Bourdais, whose fuel level is critical, must hold off the Hondas of Sato and Rahal. Montoya, also low on fuel, is under threat from Tristan Vautier.

The absent leaders

Finally, Bourdais sets the fastest lap in the race as he crosses the finish line. The podium is completed by Sato and Rahal in front of a strong Tristan Vautier, who is replacing Carlos Huertas, and achieves his team’s best result.

On the side of the championship leaders, it’s a disaster. The first, Montoya, runs out of fuel in the last lap and finishes 10th. The second, Will Power, unintentionally collides with the fourth, Helio Castroneves. The third, Scott Dixon, makes a poor tire choice and then is sent off track with 10 laps to go. Tony Kanaan and Simon Pagenaud finish 13th and 14th after having to refuel in the penultimate lap.

Bourdais: « It’s all or nothing »

This is Sébastien Bourdais’ 33rd victory in the North American single-seater championship. The series of yellow flags allowed the Frenchman to save enough fuel to reach the end. He ran out of fuel at the end of his victory lap.

(R) = Rookie (beginner)