Now if I could only find some Canadian Bacon to put
on my Flapjacks…
Yeah, I could try scribblin’ something clever
about the Jersey barriers Cleco fasteners being in inches instead of millimetres
or visa versa. Or those barriers getting held up in traffic on the Gordie Howe
Bridge, or victims of our never ending deluge ‘O Tarif’s et al…
So I won’t spend any time upon Friday’s
disappointment of being cancelled due to track completion issues, which has
been covered ad nauseum!
Adding insult to injury, reportedly fans would
miss the first thirty minutes of qualifying Saturday, unless they had the FS1
App, Seriously?
What happened to IndyCar being a priority for
FOX! Yuhs know, one third owner of IndyCar, Buh-Buh-Believable!
As I’ll agree with The Pit window’s Mike Silver
that this is inexcusable!
Marcus Armstrong’s prediction of Qualie’ being
a red flag derby certainly proved correct! As when’s the last time we’ve seen
thee Surgeon’, aka Alex Palou making a mistake and tearing up all four corners
of His racecar after hitting the wall on both sides!
As Palou’s claims about the track being Wicked
certainly played out over the weekend! Telling IndyCar Radio that the track
felt like a road course, but the walls were waiting to get you!
Yet prior to Palou’s up close and personal liaison
with the walls, Will Power did so during Saturday’s second practice session.
Sliding wide in Turn 10 and Whamo! Tore off the right side of His Dallara.
A.J. Foyt’s Caio Collet also tagged the wall in
practice two. As both Collet’s and Power’s crew had to scramble to replace
their floor, bell housing )hybrid) and right side suspension, front and rear in
time for qualifying.
But the mayhem was just getting started! As
Will Power added insult to injury by spinning 180-degrees during His first
round qualifying session, bringing out a red flag if I remember correctly? As
DJ WillyP’ would ultimately start Shotgun on the field in P25 after a six place
grid penalty for an unapproved engine change.
As several drivers were dolled out six place
grid penalties for having their engines replaced. Including both ECR drivers
Alexander rossi and Christian Rasmussen. Meyer shank Racing’s Marcus Armstrong
is in a terrible funk. Having had tree engines replaced in the last four races,
including the previous Portland race, Youch!
Power’s Andretti Global teammate “Kirk” Kirkwood
joined the party, along with McLaren’s Pato O’ward. Seeing six drivers with new
engines at Markham.
Collet’s misery continued, also bringing out a
red flag during Round 1 Qualie’, reportedly having run out of fuel, Yikes!
Before Josef Schlick’ Newgarden slammed the wall during Group 2’s first round
qualifying session, Wham!
When the
dust settled, it was Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Louis Foster securing His
second career IndyCar pole, with McLaren’s Bad Boy Christian Lundgaard
alongside the Brit.
Row 2 saw Penske’s ScottyMac’ (McLaughlin)
third, with Andretti’s Marcus Ericsson fourth. Dale Coyne Racing rookie Dennis
Hauger an impressive fifth and Junco Hollinger Racing’s Rinus VeeKay sixth.
Although I walked round Thy bungalow-by-the-Sea
muttering what a Shit show during the flurry ‘O
full course cautions! I must say it was the
most entertaining race overall! Even with the five, or was it six; “Well do
Yuhs feel Lucky Punk?” Err however many full course cautions Thar’ were…
As Markham’s foreboding walls snatched many
competitors, including pole sitter Foster, who got too excited trying to pass
eventual race winner Marcus Ericsson. Along with others like Mick Schumacher
and Kyle Kirkwood.
Marcus
Ericsson charges to first win with Andretti at Markham
According to For the Love of Indy’s R. Hando,
Ericsson’s victory drought of 63 races was the fifth longest. As not
surprisingly, Graham Rahal has the longest at 124 races. Followed by Johnny
Rutherford’s 97, Marko Andretti’s 77, and Grandpappy Super Mario’, aka Mario
Andretti’s 73.
Best part of race was hearing Ericsson’s pit
strategist saying Go Get ‘Em! Which the Swede dually complied. Even with a
somewhat momentarily tense “cozy-up” with Andretti teammate Power when the two
brushed wheels during Marcus’s pass for then third place.
Next Ericsson passed second place Alex Palou
before tracking down and passing Romain Grosjean for an eventual 7.6 second win
with five laps remaining.
And as much as I was happy with Ericsson’s win,
I have to admit I had two sets ‘O fingers crossed for Grosjean. Who wryly
commented afterwards something about it being a pretty good day when you’re
ahead of the No. 10!
Yet Grosjean was in a massive fuel save mode
the final 15-plus laps and couldn’t use any of His remaining 94 seconds of
Push-to-Pass (P2P) extra horsepower. As IndyCar Radio pit reporter Joel Sebastianelli
said one of Grosjean’s crew had told Him He felt sick when asking if Grosjean
had enough fuel to finish the race…
And Nicky Salt’ Yeoman read out the crazy
statistic of it being 5,469 days since Grosjean had won a race, Youza!
As I loved Romain’s reply to David Land
afterwards. Saying Yes! I was in formula 1 for ten years – where if you don’t
have the car, you don’t win!
As I do still remember Romain giving chase to
‘lil Syd viddle’ at the 2013 U.S. Grand Prix at Circuit Of The Americas. With
the Lotus driver being the “sausage” in the Red Bull bun with Sebastian Vettel
winning and Mark Webber third.
David Land also said that IndyCar’s Kirk Cavin
pointed out that Marcus Ericsson finished fifth in Grosjean’s 2011 Hungaroring
GP2 win. And ironically, Ericsson’s last win three-and-a-half years ago at St
Petersburg. (2023) Was just three races before Romain’s last runner-up finish
at Barber Motorsports Park.
Further irony over the two former formula 1
pilotes history being intertwined, is the fact that Ericsson replaced Grosjean
in the No. 28 Andretti Global entry for 2024 after Grosjean’s rocky, two year
tenue…
Grosjean now has six runner-up finishes to date, moving one ahead of David Malukas. Now tied with Geoff Brabham for second most career runner-up finishes without a victory, and possibly could be His last in IndyCar?
