Tempers Fly In IndyCar, A Ducati Photo Finish in MotoGP, Verstappen Takes Red

It’s Monday, June 19, 2023 and this is the Racing Recap, your summary of last weekend’s motorsports action. MotoGP’s German Grand Prix ended with less than a tenth of a second between Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia. At Road America, Alex Palou ran further away in the IndyCar title race while the rest of the field went to war. Max Verstappen secured Red Bull’s 100th F1 win in Canada but missed out on back-to-back grand slams.

Max Verstappen Takes Red Bull’s 100th F1 Win

Max Verstappen’s historic victory at the Canadian Grand Prix was all but secured after the opening laps. The reigning World Champion missed out on becoming the first driver to claim back-to-back grand slams in a decade. His teammate Sergio Perez prevented the rare feat by recording the race’s fastest lap.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton were left to scrap for the other two podium spots. They started the race in second and third — finishing in the same order. A poor showing in a wet qualifying session left Ferrari out of the podium fight. Charles Leclerc failed to make Q3 after Ferrari denied their driver’s request to switch to slick when the track began to dry.

I have to mention Alex Albon’s impressive weekend for Williams. He thrived in mixed conditions on Saturday, topping Q2. Albon converted ninth on the starting grid into a seventh-place finish.

Race Result

1. – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. – Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
3. – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
4. – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. – Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

Alex Palou Extends Points Lead At Road America

It’s been over a year since Andretti Autosport driver Colton Herta has won an IndyCar race. It seemed like the Grand Prix at Road America was his to win, but Ganassi’s Alex Palou was inevitable. Herta won pole and led the most laps, but faded late in the race. Palou passed the California driver with six laps to go and cruised to the win. Herta slipped down the order to fifth. The Ganassi driver has now won three of the last four race wins.

Race Result

1. – Alex Palou (Ganassi)
2. – Josef Newgarden (Penske) – +4.561 seonds
3. – Pato O’Ward (McLaren) – +6.754 seconds
4. – Scott Dixon (Ganassi) – +6.971 seconds
5. – Colton Herta (Andretti) – +10.932 seconds

Scott Dixon Obliterates Will Power

IndyCar’s second practice was the unlikely venue for fireworks at Road America. Ganassi’s Scott Dixon spun out and cautiously attempted to rejoin the racing line. The seven-time champion let Romain Grosjean through before pulling to the left. However, Dixon didn’t see Will Power’s Penske, and caused a crash that collected both cars. Power was furious, throwing his signature “double bird” salute at Dixon as he climbed out of his…