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Indy Car Series News

IndyCar Stat Review: DetroitGP
IndyCar returned to Belle Isle for the first time since 2019, here's are the most important stats from the weekend.
Jun 14, 2021 at 5:48 PM
by: Laura Leslie
Indy Car Series
news

IndyCar visited the streets of Detroit for a double-header for the first time since 2019. Like many events in 2020, the event had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both races provided plenty of action and a number of interesting stats and facts.

It was another torrid weekend for Penske after the team lost out on the win in race one when Will Power’s car failed to fire up after a red flag period. It looked on the brink of winning race two the following day with Josef Newgarden when Patricio O’Ward battled past the number 2 Penske to take victory instead. The lack of a win means Penske has now gone eight straight races from the season opener without victory. This is it’s longest winless streak of this kind in this millennium – it went winless for the entire 1999 season.

For O’Ward it was a double celebration. Not only did the Mexican become the first driver of 2021 to take more than one win, he also leads the championship for the first time in his IndyCar career. Race one was won by Chip Ganassi’s Marcus Ericsson in what was his maiden IndyCar victory. It also ensured that seven different drivers from seven different countries won the first seven races of the season.

Previous championship leader Alex Palou kept up strong form in 2021 by taking another podium in race two, his fourth of the season and equal with O’Ward. Team-mate and reigning champion Scott Dixon continues to be Mr Consistency, with only one finish outside the top ten all year – 17th in the Indy 500.

Rookie Romain Grosjean left the weekend empty-handed despite showing some strong pace once again. The Frenchman has only qualified outside the top seven once in his four appearances. Grosjean is also one of a whopping 23 drivers to have led a race in 2021 at some stage – a figure which is already one more than the whole of 2020 managed.  

The next round will be at Road America, another round which skipped 2020 because of the pandemic.