Agustín Canapino had his historic Indy Car debut in a bumpy race held on the St. Petersburg street circuit. The Argentinian showed a better than expected performance. Not only did he emerge from the many crashes that occurred in the demanding 100 laps, but he finished in 12th place with the Dallara of Juncos Hollinger Racing. The top position of the podium was conquered by the Swede Marcus Ericsson of Chip Ganassi Racing.
Canapino had stated in advance that the goal was to finish the race, even if he was in last place. But the Titan found a more complicated scenario than expected as, over and over again, the race presented obstacles out of context due to the multiple crashes that occurred. Therefore, the first achievement was to be able to cross the checkered flag. And 12th place ends up being a great show.
Marcus Ericsson was the winner in the first round of the 2023 season. The Swede overtook Mexican Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren) with four laps to go, while Spaniard Álex Palou finished eighth.
Ericsson overtook O’Ward on the long home straight after the Mexican accidentally activated the speed limiter and lost power to his car.
They were the survivors of a turbulent race with up to eleven cars involved in crashes that failed to finish the Grand Prix. Six yellow and three red flags were displayed in St. Petersburg.
The podium was completed by New Zealander Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi).
Agustín Canapino’s debut was magnificent for the specialists as twelfth place far exceeded the expectations of finishing the race.
Palou was the protagonist at the start and gained two positions in the first seconds. He wasn’t the only one who took risks in the first corners because the first serious accident involving five riders occurred very soon.
Neither Meyer Shank Racing car was able to continue: Brazilian Helio Castroneves and Frenchman Simon Pagenaud.
Nor did the two from the Foyt Enterprises team with American Santino Ferrucci and Dane Benjamin Pedersen follow, as well as the Andretti of Canadian Devlin DeFrancesco, which was the car launched into the air.
Several other cars dodged the rear-end collision by inches and the image of Conor Daly driving his wheels into the wall to escape the collision was truly shocking.
The red flag appeared before crossing the finish line for the first time with just twenty-five seconds to go.
The battle between the two Andrettis marks the start of the race, with the Frenchman Romain Grosjean and Colton Herta signing several fast laps which progressively distance them from the rest of the competitors.
O’Ward was the third classified alone after them and acted as a stopper for the chasing group made up of two Ganassis, that of Ericsson and that of Palou.
Grosjean’s first pit stop was on lap 32, when Scott McLaughlin took the opportunity to take the lead, a position he held for the second part of the race. The tire change strategy and the moment chosen to do it were fundamental.
Good performance by Canapino
The Argentinian driver was more than 28 seconds behind the winner, Marcus Ericsson, but crossed the checkered flag as the second best rookie in the demanding IndyCar. Callum Ilott, Agustín’s teammate, finished fifth
New in development
This is how the previous Canapino lived
Source: Clarin
Jason Root is the go-to source for sports coverage at News Rebeat. With a passion for athletics and an in-depth knowledge of the latest sports trends, Jason provides comprehensive and engaging analysis of the world of sports.