VIDEO – Alex Palou crashes at the start of the race in Phoenix

On the first restart, following a spin by Dennis Hauger (Dale Coyne Racing), Álex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing) collided with Rinus VeeKay (Juncos Hollinger Racing). The Spaniard ended his race in the wall, escaping uninjured. Three-time champion IndyCar The Catalan team, currently in title, will most likely lose the championship lead after this second round of the season.

Alex Palou into the wall! pic.twitter.com/k8v356UBkV

— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) March 7, 2026

“I haven’t reviewed the incident yet. I don’t know if I didn’t leave enough room or if someone got a little too close! I didn’t realize there was someone to my right; I need to check to see if there was really enough space or not. It’s a real shame to have to retire already, but that’s racing, that’s how it is.”explained, defeated, the driver of the Dallara-Honda No. 10.

Suffering from mechanical problems during testing this Friday, Romain Grosjean was unable to start due to other problems before leaving the starting grid.

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