Why IndyCar stars crashed out of the Indy 500 - video
The latest Autosport video looks at why so many IndyCar veterans crashed out of the 2018 Indianapolis 500 and predicts who will star in this weekend's Detroit double-header
Drivers including Danica Patrick, Helio Castroneves, Sebastien Bourdais and Tony Kanaan all crashed out of the 102nd running of the Indy 500 last Sunday.
Several of those incidents came under the driver's own control while driving through the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's banked turns.
In this video, American Racing Reporter Tom Errington and BT Sport commentator Tom Gaymor discuss the Indy 500 and look ahead to this weekend's races at Detroit.
Oriol Servia, who led late in the race due to an off-sequence stop, also explained why so many incidents occurred after the race.
"The reason people lost it was that this year the cars would understeer when you got really close to the car in front," he said.
"So, when you're trying to make something happen to make passes, you start changing the bars and the weight-jacker to make the car more positive, give it more front-end bite.
"But that's making the car as loose as possible.
"The aero is making the car understeer aerodynamically so you're doing everything in the cockpit to make it loose to counteract that understeer.
"The problem is if something at the front then catches air or you hit a bump or something, the car is now so mechanically loose that the tail just snaps around on you.
"You've created your own problem with the cockpit tools that had been helping you."
IndyCar now returns to street racing at Detroit this weekend, where Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's Graham Rahal dominated in 2017 by winning both races.
Previous article
Robert Wickens found following Indy 500 strategies hard during race
Next article
Scuderia Corsa targets full-time IndyCar entry after Indy 500 debut
About this article
| Series | IndyCar |
| Author | Tom Errington |
Can Penske redress the balance in IndyCar's battle of the titans?
IndyCar's gold standard teams Ganassi and Penske are set for another slugfest beginning this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park. A poor start to the first season with the new aeroscreen left Josef Newgarden with too much ground to make up on Scott Dixon in the title chase, but his strong end to 2020 suggests a battle royale lies ahead...
The six major IndyCar subplots to follow in 2021
From rookies arriving with big reputations to veterans who still have the fire and an F1-linked squad pushing to join the big leagues, IndyCar has it all this year. Here are six of the key storylines to keep track of
The Indycar season that proves Michael Andretti is better than F1 showed
Often unfairly characterised as a car-breaker, judged for his lack of an Indianapolis 500 win and a disappointing part-season of Formula 1 in 1993, Michael Andretti was highly respected by his rivals and only thwarted greater success by ill-fortune. When it all came together in 1991, he was a truly formidable force
How McLaren is striving towards IndyCar's elite
The second year of McLaren's full-time IndyCar return is looming, with Patricio O'Ward and Felix Rosenqvist leading its line-up. Strong team personnel and work behind the scenes means that 2021 could be the year it joins the established elite
The enigmatic legacy of a misunderstood Indy stalwart
Flashes of brilliance amid spells of obscurity have been too common for Marco Andretti. While the third-generation racer has opted to bring his full-time IndyCar career to a close, his peaks and troughs have never been for want of trying
Why American racing's top dog is without equal
A byword for success in business and in motorsport for over 50 years, Roger Penske's importance to the US scene cannot be understated. In an exclusive interview, the custodian of the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway reflects on his journey
The McLaren that rendered its Indy rivals obsolete
When founder Bruce McLaren died in June 1970, his team could have folded. Instead, his loyal band rallied to produce a string of winners - including an Indycar game-changer that won its third Indianapolis 500 five years after its debut
Why Newgarden's best IndyCar season yet wasn't enough
Josef Newgarden feels he didn't put a foot wrong in 2020, yet his finest season-long run of performances failed to yield a third series championship. But in a warning shot to Scott Dixon, Team Penske's team leader has vowed to redouble his efforts in 2021
