Lundgaard, Rahal and Fittipaldi Each Led the Sonsio GP With Lundgaard Finishing Third, Rahal 9th and Fittipaldi 14th

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Sonsio Grand Prix – Indianapolis Motor Speedway
NTT INDYCAR SERIES
RACE NOTES/QUOTES – May 11, 2024

LUNDGAARD, RAHAL AND FITTIPALDI EACH LED THE SONSIO GRAND PRIX WITH LUNDGAARD FINISHING THIRD, RAHAL NINTH AND FITTIPALDI 14TH

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I felt like we missed pretty much every opportunity we could’ve. I think on each stop we lost spots. I don’t think it was the pitstops themselves, just the ins and the outs and being stuck in traffic. Rossi went two laps longer on the first stint and that got him by me. I feel like I passed McLaren cars like four times today and I got nowhere; I ended up in the same spot. That gets a little frustrating if I’m honest. We weren’t good enough today, period. I was not very pleased with the balance of the car. Unfortunately, it’s a game of inches around here. You know, a couple of inches around here make a big difference in the overall race. We just have to figure out why things went sideways from the grand prix in August. But, now we turn our attention to the 500.”

• FAST FACTS: Rahal started ninth and passed Rossi and Pato before the pit cycle started and cycled into the lead on Lap 15-16 before he made his first stop. He ran in the top six for most of the race but the timing of a late caution benefitted drivers like Scott McLaughlin and he ultimately finished ninth in his 16th start here… After a second-place finish on the road course at IMS in 2015 and 2020 (July) he hoped to breakthrough and win at IMS in August 2023 after starting from pole. He led the most laps at 36/85 but finished second to Scott Dixon in the closest INDYCAR SERIES finish ever at the IMS road course with a margin of -0.4779 to the winner.  He moved from a tie for 16th place in NTT INDYCAR SERIES point standings to 12th with 71.

PIETRO FITTIPALDI, No. 30 Mi-Jack Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I’m happy but unhappy at the same time because we were running in the Top 10 and finished 14th. Just with the pit strategy sequence, it hurt us a little with that safety car at the end. So, then we ended up falling back on the restart and finishing 14th. I think we had potential to finish P10 or P11. When you just fall a little bit off the potential it’s always a little bit irritating.  P14 is a solid finish, and the team did a great job. We needed a result to build some momentum back and I think this was a good result.”

• FAST FACTS: Started 11th and gained a position on the start but had to give up a spot to Veekay after the series penalized him for avoidable contact. He cycled into the lead two times before stops (Laps 22 and 43). He was 12th on a restart after rookie Ghiotti, who was making his first start, brought out a caution. On the restart, he lost 2 positions to Kirkwood and Grosjean and ultimately finished 14th in his first race here… He is ranked 22nd in the point standings with 45.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD, No. 45 Hy-Vee Dallara/Honda/Firestone: I’m happy to be disappointed I would say. Yeah, I think that’s becoming an expression in the RLL engineering truck. Sometimes we’re just happy to be disappointed. I’m proud of the team. We qualified well at Barber, and I think considering how we handled Long Beach in terms of strategy trying to get too much out of what I think we could have hurt us on the pure result. Going into Barber, it was a pure strategy of just get through the race and make sure that we get a good result, and coming here, there was a minimum, which was a podium. We got it, but I wanted it to be a win.
“We really did the best job that I think we could on the first two stints. I think we were a little bold trying to put on another sticker set of primes for the third stint, but the alternative was a very used alternate tire that we had to put a long way, as well, in the race, and I preferred the primary tires there.
“Honestly I think we were quite competitive on out laps. I think the red tires were the preferred tires today, but going into the race, I think everybody was in the unknown. I think everybody had a question mark, is it going to be 50/50 or 70/30 in terms of one compound being preferred. Like I said before, I knew my options, my other alternate tires was pretty used, so the alternative was using those and hoping they would last. I chose the sticker primaries because we were one of the most competitive cars in qualifying on blacks, on the primary tires. I didn’t see a reason why not to use them. But I think Alex was just fast today. He was fast here last year in May, in August. He’s fast wherever we go, really.”

• FAST FACTS: Lundgaard made his third straight front row start here from second place and took the lead on the first lap, led 35 of 85 laps but finished third after pit strategy for eventual winner Palou, quick stops by second-place finisher Power and the timing of a late caution led to a third-place finish. It was his first podium of the season, second podium on the IMS road course and third career podium. He won his first career pole for the May 2023 road course race and started second to teammate Rahal in the August 2023 event – both resulting in fourth place finishes. It’s also the site of his first series podium – a second place finish in July 2022.  In the August 2023 race, he started second to Rahal and was passed by DeFrancesco and O’Ward on the opening lap to run fourth. He repassed DeFrancesco a few laps later and ran mostly in the top four the majority of the race to take the checkered flag in that position. In May 2023, he led the majority of the first lap from pole until third-place starter Palou, on faster alternate tires to his harder, primary ones, passed for the lead into Turn 14. He regained the lead on Laps 18-19 after Palou pit. Tire strategy played an integral part and on one stint he was on used alternate tires when the race favored used or sticker primaries.  On Lap 57 he dropped from second to third when O’Ward passed him. He held the position through a stop and was passed by Ericsson on Lap 76/85 for fourth. He held off Rosenqvist until the checkered flag to maintain fourth place. In 2022, he finished ninth in the May Grand Prix and earned his first podium of second place in the July event. In that event, he earned his best start of the season at that point of sixth. In the race, he moved into fourth on the opening lap ahead of Power and O’Ward, who had an issue. He was passed by Herta before Kellett brought out a caution and passed Newgarden on the restart to regain fourth. He passed Rosenqvist for third on Lap 9 before his first stop on Lap 14. He held third through the majority of the race and claimed second place on Lap 42/85 when previous leader Herta slowed on course. In the late stages of the race, he pressured eventual winner Rossi but took the checkered flag 3.5 seconds behind him for his first series podium and a career-best finish of second place. While an FIA Formula 2 driver in 2021, Lundgaard, then 20, made his INDYCAR debut with the team at the August 14, 2021 race. After testing an Indy car for the first time with the team at Barber Motorsports Park on July 26, he had plenty of new elements to adjust to during a compressed, two-day event schedule but surprised many when he qualified fourth. He finished 12th in the race while battling food poisoning… He moved from 15th place in the point standings to 9th with 84.

NEXT UP:  Opening day for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 will take place on Tuesday. Peaccock will stream coverage of all practice sessions next week.