Starting from the 20th position, Alexander Rossi climbed the ranks in the Indianapolis 500 and praised the work done by Andretti in the pits and in the strategy
Alexander Rossi was Andretti's top driver at the 2022 Indy 500. Starting in 20th position, the American climbed the field and finished in a great fifth place. His teammates were not so lucky: Devlin DeFrancesco was only 19th, while Colton Herta abandoned and Romain Grosjean went to the wall.
This was Rossi's last Indy 500 appearance with Andretti. The team announced on Wednesday that young Kyle Kirkwood will drive the #27 car next season. Alexander is expected to be announced soon as the new McLaren driver. Even with the relationship already frayed, the 2016 Indianapolis 500 champion highly praised the work done by Andretti in last Sunday's (29th) race.
"It was a very good day for the team in the #27 car. To start 20th and finish in the top five is a great accomplishment. I think we had an amazing job in the pits and a great strategy, so we were able to capitalize on our opportunities," said Rossi.
The American didn't really fight for the victory. Jimmie Johnson's accident in the final laps prevented him from taking advantage of any opportunities for a second victory. "The car was good. Everything worked out well for us. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to fight at the end. I don't know if we had the performance to win, but it was good to at least be close and have a chance," he concluded.
Rossi has eleven more races to go with Andretti, and currently ranks 11th among drivers. Indy returns next Sunday (5th) with the Detroit GP, at the street circuit of Belle Isle Park, with full coverage byGRANDE PRÊMIO.