IndyCar – Dixon wins ahead of Pagenaud

Already second behind Juan Pablo Montoya (Team Penske – Chevrolet) on the streets of St Petersburg, Florida last month, for the opening of the 2016 season IndyCar Series, the French simon pagenaud (Team Penske – Chevrolet) took advantage of his second place last night on the Phoenix (Arizona) oval to take control of the championship for the first time in his career.

The former winner of the American Le Mans Series took advantage of excellent pit stops to get back into the top 3, but was unable to counteract the domination of Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing – Chevrolet) who, with his 39th career victory obtained under yellow flag regime, after contact with the wall of Alexander Red (Andretti / Herta – Honda), equals Al Unser Sr in the list of the most victorious drivers in the discipline.

The podium is completed by Will Power (Team Penske – Chevrolet) ahead of Tony Kanaan (Chip Ganassi Racing – Chevrolet). The first one car powered by the Honda unit, that of Graham Rahal (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) finished in fifth place.

Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya (Team Penske – Chevrolet), one time at the front, were slowed down by punctures and finished 11th and 9th respectively. Sebastian Bourdais (KVSH Racing – Chevrolet) took eighth place and recovered well in the last part of the event after having been close to the wall earlier in the race. Note the very good seventh place of Max Chilton (Chip Ganassi Racing – Chevrolet).

Find the report of the Phoenix event in Arizona, in issue 2057 of AUTOhebdo, available from tomorrow evening in digital version and from this Wednesday on newsstands.