Palou holds the lead at the start
When the green flag waved, polesitter Alex Palou managed to retain the lead, ahead of second-place starter David Malukas and Graham Rahal in third. The entire field then made it through the opening lap without any issues.
While Palou started the race on the harder compound tires, Malukas opted for the softer tires. Initially, Malukas was able to stay close to Palou, but after fifteen laps the increased tire wear began to take its toll, allowing Rahal—who had started on the harder tires—to pass Malukas in the Charlotte’s Web hairpin.
Malukas’ early tire issues forced the young driver to pit early, after which he got stuck in traffic and lost valuable time. As a result, Rahal was able to stay comfortably ahead of him after the first round of pit stops.
Lundgaard’s charge undone by botched pit stop
Starting from tenth, Christian Lundgaard drove a strong race through the field. By extending his stints twice, the Dane managed to cycle back into second place after his second pit stop, just ahead of Rahal. Lundgaard then not only pulled away from Rahal, but also steadily closed the gap to Palou.
Palou made his final pit stop four laps before Lundgaard, setting up what looked to be an exciting battle once Lundgaard pitted. However, that would not materialize, as the #7 McLaren crew made a mistake during the stop. Lundgaard lost significant time and rejoined the track in third, behind Rahal.
Due to Lundgaard’s issues, Palou was able to cruise to his second victory of the season. In the closing stages, Lundgaard launched a full attack on Rahal for second place, making the decisive pass three laps later to claim the position. Rahal then came under heavy pressure from Malukas, but managed to hold on.
Up front, however, no one had an answer for Palou’s pace, as he crossed the finish line thirteen seconds ahead of Lundgaard.
Full results of the race on Barber Motorsports Park
PhotographyHonda Racing HPD
