For the first time since 2020 a driver in the NTT IndyCar Series wins three races in a row as Alex Palou left the field in his wake at the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio

Palou has now been the star of the last six weekends in the NTT IndyCar Series, making it 4 victories in his last five rounds, along with pole position at the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 and a drive from 28th to 4th in the event itself after a bump on pit-lane with Rinus Veekay.

The victory opens Palou’s championship lead to a vast 110 points, as nearest challenger Marcus Ericsson finished last after an incident with fellow Swede Felix Rosenqvist at turn 6 on the opening lap.

Scott Dixon finished second in Ohio to jump Ericsson in the championship, whilst Will Power finished 3rd for Team Penske. Christian Lundgaard was 4th for RLL, underlining their pace on natural terrain road courses, as Scott McLaughlin rounded out the top 5.

David Malukas discovered some pace and form to finish a road course career best 6th for Dale Coyne Racing, on the weekend which he announced he would be leaving the team for 2024. Graham Rahal was 7th after starting on the front row, and Pato O’Ward recovered from a spin in qualifying and a 25th place start to finish 8th in a brilliant drive.

Marcus Armstrong was the highest finishing rookie in 9th, and Alexander Rossi finished a frustrated 10th, just ahead of Colton Herta, who has seen back to back pole positions slip away from him through no fault of his own.

Alex Palou maintains rich vein of form with commanding drive

After winning back to back rounds in Detroit and at Road America, Alex Palou came into the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio with a commanding 74 point lead. But the Spanish star was not to stop there.

Another strong qualifying saw him start 4th for Sunday’s race, and throughout the first stint, Palou sat behind frontrunners Herta and Rahal, carefully stalking the pair and shadowing their every move.

Both Herta and Rahal started on the softer, less durable alternate tyres. When they were both forced to pit for new rubber, Palou flexed his muscles in the clean air which opened up in front of him. He took the lead on lap 28, and never rescinded it.

By lap 40, his gap had opened up to a commanding 8.2 seconds, only briefly closing when Palou got stuck behind rookie Benjamin Pedersen, who was desperate to remain on the lead lap. Palou passed the #55 AJ Foyt Racing car on lap 48 with the gap at 3.7 seconds, and never looked back.

The gap closed a touch as Palou also found himself behind the returning Conor Daly, stepping in for Simon Pagenaud who was declared unfit to race after a frightening airborne crash last 180mph on Saturday morning following a brake failure at turn 4. However, Palou remained untroubled at the front.

For the first time since 2020, a driver in the series has won three races in a row, and for Alex Palou, the debate about what he will do in 2024 rages on. Why would he leave Chip Ganassi Racing for Arrow Mclaren when the CGR seems to provide tools in Indycar to win on any circuit?

For now Alex Palou remains firmly in control of this championship.

Herta and Rahal left to rue what might have been

For the second time in 2 races, Colton Herta’s stunning Saturdays have been let down by strategy on Sunday. Another brilliant pole position at Mid-Ohio meant that Herta was in the perfect position to capitalise and bring a much sought after race win back to Andretti Autosport.

However, Sunday would not transpire the way that the team would have hoped. Herta led comfortably away from Rahal, and maintained a solid gap of just under a second throughout the first stint. Rahal closed in on Herta briefly on lap 13, but other than in that instance, the Andretti Autosport driver remained reasonably unchallenged.

Herta’s race unravelled on lap 54, as a software failure meant the car was unable switch on the pit speed limiter, meaning that on his final stop, Herta entered pit lane over the speed limit, resulting in a drive through penalty. He would eventually finish 11th.

Herta’s team mate Kyle Kirkwood was also running a strong third until he was passed by Alex Palou on lap 19. Palou attacked Kirkwood into turn 4, and Kirkwood was squeezed onto the kerb as Palou went around the outside, causing Kirkwood to spin. He would end up finishing 17th.

For Rahal, qualifying on the front row was certainly a step forward after his woes in 2023, with none more humiliating that being bumped from the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500. His race also unravelled in the pits, as a slow left rear tyre change caused him to stall in the box.

Rahal would eventually finish in 7th, his best result since the season opener in March. However, for the #15 United Rentals RLL driver, it was a case of what could have been in his home state of Ohio.

Benjamin Pedersen fails to endear himself to Indycar veterans

Over the course of 2023, Benjamin Pedersen has been perhaps the most understated of the rookies. After being part of an enormous crash in St. Petersburg which saw Pedersen send DeFrancesco airborne, the rookie has put in reasonable, if unremarkable, performances since then.

His Rookie of the year performance at the Indianapolis 500 was impressive, but he will not gain many more admirers if he continues to drive in the way that he did at Mid-Ohio.

It is understandable for Pedersen to not want to let Alex Palou by – remaining on the lead lap is crucial in Indycar, and his defence from Palou is not the one that raised eyebrows. However, erratic blocking moves on drivers behind such as Rossi, O’Ward, Malukas and McLaughlin did not do him any favours.

He was confronted by McLaughlin after the race, and perhaps rightly so, as there was no need for the rookie to be so forceful when already a lap down from the leader. Whilst it is true that he did not have to give up those positions by the letter of the law, Pedersen may have to consider whether it was right for him to do so in the context of the race.

Championship contenders stumble allowing Palou to take advantage

If there is to be a championship fights that goes to the wire, some of the other contenders will need to take charge in order to stop Alex Palou. However, at Mid-Ohio, a few will be leaving with their tails between their legs.

For Marcus Ericsson, he had been ultra-consistent up until this event, never once finishing outside the top 10 and being on the podium 3 times this season. However a clumsy move into turn 6 on Felix Rosenqvist saw him crash out on lap one, causing his 74 point deficit to Palou to shoot up to 122.

Josef Newgarden won the Indianapolis 500 in stunning fashion, but failed to reach the same heights here in Ohio, finishing in an anonymous 12th to leave him 116 points astray.

Pato O’Ward and Scott Dixon are the other drivers with a realistic shot at overhauling Palou’s monstrous advantage, and they can both leave Mid-Ohio reasonably satisfied with their performances. O’Ward recovered from a qualifying spin to finish a solid 8th, whilst Dixon maintained his good form to finish 2nd.

If anyone can stop Palou, they’ll need to strike in Toronto where the series heads in 2 weeks time, with defending winner Scott Dixon looking the most likely to do so.