Detroit GP – Race 1: The Weather Makes Muñoz the Winner

The first race in Detroit is launched on a drenched track. Most of the drivers remain cautious, except for Takuma Sato, who started 4th on the grid. In 3 laps, the Japanese driver takes the lead until the first yellow flag, caused by Gonzalez.

The bet on dry

At the restart, right at the first corner, contact involves Stefano Coletti, James Jakes, Tony Kanaan, and Graham Rahal, resulting in the latter’s retirement. During this second race interruption, several drivers gamble on switching to slick tires, including Kimball. However, the track is very treacherous.

After two laps under the green flag, Charlie Kimball makes a mistake, causing another interruption. At the end of the fifteenth lap, the leaders also stop to switch to slick tires, which propels Marco Andretti to the front. He is the first to have taken this gamble. He is followed by Fillipi, Hawksworth, Daly, and Coletti.

The fashion of yellow

At this point in the race, the drivers have spent more time behind the Pace Car than racing, with only 6 laps under the green flag out of the 17 completed.

The next 3 yellow flags are caused by debris on the track, including a part of Takuma Sato’s front wing, lost during a clash with Newgarden.

The Wet Bet

On the 35th lap, a large number of drivers decide to switch to grooved tires in anticipation of rain, despite the fact that the track remains dry. After a few changes, Andretti finds himself back in the lead ahead of Muñoz and Pagenaud. The rain slowly returns over part of the track, but these three drivers stay on slicks.

Andretti and Pagenaud stop at the end of the 40th lap and equip themselves with treaded tires. Muñoz stops 2 laps later. This strategy propels the Colombian to the lead with more than a 20-second advantage over the American and the Frenchman.

Ominous lightning bolts

The rain intensifies to a yellow flag on the 46th lap, waved due to lightning. Weather conditions are becoming dangerous for the spectators and team members, who are poorly protected. The race management quickly brings out the red flag and requests all cars to stop in the pit lane. There are then 30 minutes of racing left out of the maximum two hours or the scheduled 70 laps.

Finally, the weather conditions have the final say and the race is called off. Carlos Muñoz, 23, is declared the winner of the first IndyCar race of the weekend, having started 20th on the grid. It’s the first victory for the Colombian, who is racing his second full season in the series, driving for Andretti Autosport.