Okay, I wasn’t at the Chinese Grand Prix or the Long Beach Indy car race last weekend. But I did watch both on TV with a wide-open mind. With the ability to watch an F1 and Indy car race in one day, I wanted to sit back and just be a spectator, a fan, and compare which was the best entertainment. But I will admit that I have a difficult time being just an observer, as I need to look at everything that happens from the perspective of what I can learn, and what I can share with others. So, here I go with my observations.
Let’s start with the obvious: Scott Dixon’s drive to take the win in Long Beach was one of the most impressive performances I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen a lot). The way he managed his fuel and the push-to-pass just enough to stay ahead of Joseph Newgarden and Colton Herta was the definition of perfection. It was a clinic for every other Indy car driver, although they’ll never quite know how he actually did what he did, other than he did it. If you haven’t watched the race, go do it now.
I’ve often seen Dixon in the position where he had to come back from a problem or incident. He almost always does. A few years ago, he got hit going into Turn 5 at Road America and fell to the back of the pack; I turned to my wife and said, “Watch...he’ll get back to the front.” He finished on the podium.
With twenty laps left in the Long Beach race, Dixon — having to save fuel to reach the end without another pit stop — was leading with three cars closing on him. Those other drivers did not have to save fuel and had fresher tires. It seemed to only be a matter of time before Newgarden, Herta and Alex Palou got by him. I couldnʻt see how Dixon could hold them off, an opinion that the TV color commentators (Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe, both winning race drivers) shared, as well, saying they thought the last podium spot would be the best possible result for the 6-time Indy car champion.
We all doubted he could win.
By lifting and coasting before each brake zone, Dixon saved fuel (something he’s better at than any other driver in the series), rolled more momentum speed through the corners, and only used quick bursts of push-to-pass (which uses more fuel) when he absolutely needed it to stay in the lead. It was brilliant. It was the highlight of the race, especially because it meant we didn’t know who was going to win until the last lap.
Admittedly, the first half of the 49th running of the Long Beach race was not super-exciting. There were a few interesting battles, but not a lot of passing. As usual with Indy car races, though, there were two very different pit strategies that made it difficult to predict who was going to shake out in the lead towards the end of the race. And when Dixon ended up in first with twenty or so laps to go, I wasn’t surprised. But I was surprised — no, make that shocked — that he could hold onto it for the win.
The Chinese GP also started off fairly boring, knowing that the only way Max Verstappen would not win was if his car had a mechanical issue, or a giant panda balloon had floated over the circuit and landed on his Red Bull. That was easy to predict.
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