At the end of IndyCar's Mid-Ohio race last July, the yellow #28 Andretti Autosport Dallara-Honda came to an abrupt halt in the pitlane. Ryan Hunter-Reay popped his belts, tore away his drinks tube, erupted from the cockpit and stalked away, shaking his head in disgust. Wisely, he kept his helmet on. Any interview at that moment would have had the censor bleepers hard at work.
The 2012 champion's frustration was understandable. A typically almighty effort in qualifying had put him fourth on the grid while his Andretti team-mates were scrabbling around in the bottom half of the field, and on race day, he appeared set for a podium finish behind the unstoppable Penske Dallara-Chevrolets of Simon Pagenaud and Will Power.
Then it transpired that a refuelling error had left Hunter-Reay disastrously short of fuel and over the remaining laps he throttled back, fell back, and a probable top-three finish became a wheezing 18th.