IndyCar: VeeKay wins the Indianapolis GP as Grosjean claims first pole and podium

Pit strategy helped youngster Rinus VeeKay become the third first-time winner of the 2021 IndyCar Series, beating out former F1 star Romain Grosjean to the checkered flag at Indianapolis.

Grosjean would start the GP from pole, however he would twice be undercut in the pits by the 20-year-old Dutchman as VeeKay became the first winner for Ed Carpenter Racing since Josef Newgarden’s 2016 win at Iowa and the first non-Penske driver to win the ‘Month of May’ event since 2014.

It’s been a good year for IndyCar’s young drivers, with four of the five races so far being won by someone 24 or younger. IndyCar legend Scott Dixon, aged 40, is the only one to break the youngsters’ dominance with his win in race one at Texas.

It took a gutsy move from VeeKay to move into position to battle for the lead though, as he threaded the needle to overtake the Ganassi pair of Jimmie Johnson and Alex Palou on lap 42.

Meanwhile, Grosjean lost time in a pair of tough battles with Takuma Sato, the former F1 men going wheel-to-wheel into turn one on lap 40 before Sato made it past at turn seven on lap 42.

And that set up VeeKay’s undercut on the Frenchman, however, he would still have to do some work on the track, making the move for the net lead stick at turn 12 on lap 45.

The lead would change hands once more during pit stops but it would fall nicely for VeeKay despite the best efforts of Grosjean’s pit crew.

They would be joined on the podium by Palou, while Newgarden and Graham Rahal rounded out the top five.

Next up on the calendar is the big one, the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 30.

Race Results:

1. Rinus VeeKay

2. Romain Grosjean

3. Alex Palou

4. Josef Newgarden

5. Graham Rahal

6. Simon Pagenaud

7. Alexander Rossi

8. Scott McLaughlin

9. Scott Dixon

10. Marcus Ericsson

11. Will Power

12. Ryan Hunter-Reay

13. Colton Herta

14. Ed Jones

15. Patricio O’Ward

16. Takuma Sato

17. Felix Rosenqvist

18. James Hinchcliffe

19. Sebastien Bourdais

20. Dalton Kellett

21. Juan Pablo Montoya

22. Charlie Kimball

23. Jack Harvey

24. Jimmie Johnson

25. Conor Daly