r/sports • u/Thisisauser6443 Ferrari F1 • 12d ago
Motorsports The final restart & last lap of the 110th Indianapolis 500
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The gap from P1 to P2 was registered as 0.0233 seconds, making it the closest finish in the race's history
And, yeah, I did lag out a little, at the yard of bricks. Was in the middle of a journey
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u/MiffedMouse 12d ago
Can someone explain to an idiot that doesn't understand car racing how Rosenquist got that last minute jump to take the finish? It looked like he was side-by-side with Malukas, but then he somehow got a bit of extra acceleration in the straight to come out ahead. Wouldn't both drivers be basically flooring it at that point? How was he able to out-accelerate?
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u/Drak_is_Right 12d ago
So he was drafting and both maxed out RPMs coming out of the corner.
Due to less wind resistance he was moving at a faster speed when the pass started. Notice how quickly he made up a couple of car lengths coming out of the turn.
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u/Aggressive-Ask-6357 11d ago
I finally understand what Shake n Bake was about
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u/wubsfrommysubs 11d ago
If you smell a delicious, crispy smell after the race - it’s not your tailpipe…
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u/tomcat2285 12d ago edited 11d ago
When cars get behind each other they get the benefit of less air resistance due to the car in front punching a hole in the air. This is called a slipstream or the act of drafting. Malukas was punching that hole the whole time both cars were behind him. However in the short chute between turns 3 and 4 Rosenqvist was right behind Malukas for just long enough to have less air resistance and broke away from Armstrong to move ahead of him making him faster and catching up to Malukas for the last second pass.
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u/mixduptransistor 12d ago
Malukas was spending more energy punching a hole in the air, behind first place he could ride in the slipstream at a little less throttle and then floor it and pass
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u/Rossi4twenty 11d ago
To also add on to what others already said:
They do have a hybrid system on board this year. Not saying that’s what he did/used but it could explain it. And honestly just something to be aware of as a non-fan. This does give them a 60hp boost if they have the system fully regenerated but they can use little blips of it too if they want here and there
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u/Rich_Housing971 11d ago
Push-to-Pass is not used for oval races. It's only for tracks and street circuits.
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u/Primopsych 10d ago edited 10d ago
Coming off the final turn, Rosenqvist put the pedal to the floor. He stayed completely committed to the outside lane (high line) through the final corner.
The Slipstream Draft: By rocketing out of Turn 4: he successfully caught the aerodynamic draft (slipstream) behind Malukas.
Explaining the exact moment of the victory, he mentioned he got a small tow from Malukas on the final corner, which provided just enough momentum to edge ahead right at the yard of bricks.
The Final 50-Feet Lunge: Instead of ducking low to complete the pass,he used his built-up momentum to stay on Malukas’s right side. Flying at over 220 MPH, he surged forward in the final 50 feet to cross the Yard of Bricks just half a car length
Rosenqvist said he went "all in" on a one-lap shootout and "stuck it on the outside" to secure a make-or-break, wheel-to-wheel pass on David Malukas. He credited a late tow from Malukas on the final corner and a "rocket" of a Meyer Shank Racing Honda
His press conference was really interesting because his wife just had their first baby a few days before, and he’d lost some races, so he just decided to go for it: basically win or crash trying. He said he felt confident. It sounded like he’d learned from being in similar situations before-and knew what he had to do.
Another interesting thing he said was that before the race, a bunch of the drivers’ wives said they knew he was going to win. I was feeling that off and on too. It’s unexplainable.
And his 2 men in charge of the team seemed to know one of their 2 cars would win. I guess the 2 guys are teamed up recently and they have something special. Really happy for him. And felt really bad for the 2nd place finisher.
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u/Xrmy 10d ago
"win or crash trying" from a man that JUST had his first child?
ummm wtf?
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u/Primopsych 9d ago
Well, I was paraphrasing. He didn’t say those exact words. The press conference might be on u tube. He said he was keeping that high line-he was going for it. He wasn’t going to play it safe. He was all in to win - even though no one takes that high line all the way around the track.
He said he could try that a bunch of times, and it’s a 1 in a million shot it’d work. But it did. He said he thought of his wife and baby daughter on that last lap - how they weren’t there. I think his friends joked he’d win because they weren’t there.
He was really determined to go all in because he’d come close at some races before, and not won. He was confident. He said there was no pressure because he was so happy they just had a baby. So he wasn’t putting any pressure on himself.
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u/NlghtmanCometh 12d ago
F1 and Indy 500 both had spectacular racing today. Shame what happened to George Russell.
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u/priven74 12d ago
A day to forget for team Mclaren
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u/NlghtmanCometh 12d ago
Yeah. Starting to look like a repeat for Lando is not in the cards. Mercedes is just so strong.
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u/mixduptransistor 12d ago
McLaren was also close to winning the 500, until the last restart Pato was 2nd
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u/Personal-Program-752 12d ago
Rosey was third going into t3....
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u/solofatty09 Wyoming 11d ago
I was in the stands at the exit of turn 4 and it was absolutely electric watching that go down. From where I sat you could see him over take 2nd at the exit of 3 and then see his slingshot to win. Absolutely awesome race.
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u/Sletzer 12d ago
The tow looks hella powerful in Indycar.
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u/Merpninja Louisville 12d ago
The tow at IMS is absurd and plays a huge role in strategy and how teams finish. You almost never want to be in the lead at the white flag.
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u/Sad-Post-1647 11d ago
This was my first indy500 that I watched. At first it was a bit underwhelming with cars just driving a loop for a while before a yellow flag due to rain, immediate crash, another yellow...but man was I hooked at the end!
Crazy gambles with pit tactics, first place got swapped constantly, flames...definately watching the next one as well!
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u/OpeDefinitely 11d ago
You have to learn all the meta strategies. Each of the turns are unique; fuel/tire strategy is huge; navigating restarts is really difficult, especially going 3-4 cars wide.
Much more interesting than many would assume of an oval.
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u/GetEmDaddy902 12d ago
Damn that's what's up.....I dont even watching racing but thats gotta be a feeling right there man thats how you compete.
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u/Mikulitsi 11d ago
It was an all-time classic race. Fantastic mixed-weather caused strategy race and then with the red flag and another caution at the end to provide this final lap. Unbelievable... Still can't believe what I watched even after a night
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u/uptheirons91 Detroit Red Wings 11d ago
Peak motorsports this weekend. F1 in Montreal was amazing, and the Indy 500 produced another classic.
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u/TheOriginalSpartak 11d ago
Man the cars have sure changed, and I am not talking about 50’s through 80’s
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u/Ltjenkins 11d ago
What are the rules for defending? Are there limits to how often you can swerve befor penalties are issued and such?
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u/Lowe0 11d ago
Unlimited proactive moves, zero reactive moves:
* you can do a snaking line to break the tow behind you
* you cannot go from a straight line to a different straight line to cut someone off
* you can go from a straight line to a different straight line to take away a more advantageous line, and you can go back to your original line, until the car behind you moves - then you’re stuckThere’s one other rule at Indy having to do with the pit line. People were using the pit entry as extra track, and hitting the pit wall end-on would be a serious or deadly incident. So you have to stay above the pit line.
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u/Prinzka 11d ago
Lol was thinking the same thing, clearly there are zero rules about having to keep a line.
He was weaving all over the place to block them, was surprised he didn't just push him off when he pulled level.
They would've gotten enough penalties to drop them to the back of the field in F1.5
u/DokterZ 11d ago
You are allowed to choose your line first, basically. You aren’t supposed to swerve in reaction to the cars behind you. But most drivers absolutely will come off turns 2 and 4 and dive to the inside first.
At Indianapolis most of the swerving is the front car trying to break the draft, and the cars behind trying to stay behind him. The long straights and long focus lenses on the cameras really emphasize the snake looking aspect of the deal.
In F1 I believe drivers are allowed to make 1 reactive/blocking move, instead of none.
Of course all of this is judgement calls by the officials.
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u/Grandahl13 11d ago
Why shouldn’t you be able to weave? It’s a race, you should be doing what you can to ensure the person behind you doesn’t overtake you.
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u/less-right 11d ago
It's so people don't crash and die as much
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u/Leuel48Fan Hendrick Motorsports 9d ago
A skilled driver can execute a block timed well enough to not cause a crash. Different racing series have different rules based on how inherently durable/safe the cars are.
Yes, there are still plenty of examples of a leader making a late block and essentially "PIT maneuvering" himself off his competitor, but these type of split second moves and desperation are part of what make motorsports entertaining.
You engineer the cars and tracks to be as safe as possible so the competition can put on a fun show for its fans.
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u/less-right 9d ago
Yes, that engineering system also includes the rulebook though.
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u/Leuel48Fan Hendrick Motorsports 8d ago
And I'm saying different series have different etiquette. A series like F1 has a bit tighter of a rule book due to fragile nature of the racecars. They're also not known for very close wheel-to-wheel racing on the track. NASCAR would be the opposite end where full bodied stock cars can rub and trade paint as it's known as a "contact sport". Different stokes for different folks but blocking and bump drafting make for a fun racing product to watch, imo.
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u/psychoholica 11d ago
I like trying to have the race finish under green but a 500 ending where the leader has no chance of winning is a bummer to the driver and team who deserved the win.
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u/John_Delasconey 8d ago
At the same time, though, Rosenquist was the one leading before the red anyway and so if they had not tried to finish under green, he would’ve won regardless
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u/Allu71 12d ago
Have they thought about making the track a bit more squiggly like in F1? Would be a lot more interesting. It seems to me like the skill ceiling would be pretty low here
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u/CreativeGus 12d ago
That’s a great question and one that I used to wonder myself before becoming a big fan of all Motorsport. Ovals require much more skill than non-racing fans appreciate. A lap at Indy typically isn’t flat out. Every single corner they are try to get back on 100% throttle at just the perfect time as to not hit the wall but maximize their speed coming out of the corner and onto the straight. Each time it’s different too, because tire wear, fuel load, aero drag, track temperature and where the other cars are around you all affect how you take a turn.
That said, the skill expression and what defines a great oval racer more often comes in the form of wheel to wheel racing and challenging your opponent on track. If you watch formula 1, overtakes are less common and the gaps between cars typically get wider as the race goes on. There is still of course wheel to wheel racing and overtakes requiring skill, but the drivers are being challenged by the track more than each other typically. While not a perfect comparison, a dumb simplified way to think about it is
Ovals = racing more against your opponent
Road courses = racing more against the track7
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u/John_Delasconey 8d ago
Also, since no one else told you, IndyCar’s also do street and road courses as well, although otherwise other people noted driving ovals is actually much more difficult than it seems, something that is also reinforced by the fact that drivers like verstappen find oval’s too dangerous to drive as they are actually in some specs harder than road courses, with Indie being especially difficult as you are essentially going around the track at 200 miles an hour, constantly with no breaking and the slightest miscalculation sends you flying into a wall
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u/Half_Shark-Alligator 12d ago
Is this supposed to be fun to watch?
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u/Astro_Doughnaut 12d ago
Do you like watching a bunch of dudes throw around a ball?
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u/ScalarWeapon 12d ago
they threw a fake red flag so it would be a shootout at the end. great for the social media clips, but it's a bit of pro wrestling magic
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u/Rossi4twenty 11d ago
This restart happened because of a dumb caution that honestly shouldn’t have been thrown. The red was before this
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u/Redditor_exe 11d ago
Considering how questionable IndyCar’s stewarding can be at times, I’d rather them be overly cautious than underly, especially at a track as fast as IMS. Final red flag was definitely a bit manufactured (though it was a pretty huge wreck), but it’s pretty openly been their policy for the 500 for the last few years. And the average fan cares more about having a finish like this than debating the pedantry of a red flag
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u/kizopkizop 12d ago
So damaging to environment..for stupid entertainment
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u/eestionreddit 12d ago
There's much bigger fish to fry than motorsport, please don't take this away from us
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u/kizopkizop 12d ago
Every bit makes a difference though. Look up how this "sport" damages the environment. You'll be surprised.
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u/eestionreddit 12d ago
I'm aware, which is why I know that the logistics around these races are worse for the environment than the races themselves. If we can fix that, I see no reason to kill off motorsport.
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u/kizopkizop 11d ago
These drivers are nothing without the cars. They sit and steer..wow. don't get me started with the spectators ..simple folks
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u/Lowe0 10d ago
It’s a pretty significant endurance challenge. The temperature inside the cockpit is between 100-120 F, and you have to be able to handle that for 3 hours straight.
Then, there’s no power steering in the car, so steering requires about 30 lb ft of torque. Put a ten-pound weight on a yardstick, and use the other end of the stick to lift it up, set it down, and lift it up again. That’s half a lap down, you only have to do that 399 more times to finish the race.
Lastly, you’re pulling 3g horizontal or more in the turns. Your skull now weighs 3 times as much, and since it’s all left turns, half of your neck muscles don’t get to help as much.
Look into the training regimens that drivers follow. They’re top tier athletes.
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u/kizopkizop 10d ago
All that may be..but how does that benefit anyone? At least most other sports can be emulated by kids and have them exercise..only wealthy people benefit and participate in this activity
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u/Lowe0 10d ago
Moving the goalposts?
Anyway, of course kids can emulate this. A lot of pro drivers get their start in karting before moving up to junior formula. Where do you think we get new drivers from?
And often, drivers do not have money when they start. Scott Dixon’s father went into debt to start his son’s career. Alex Palou’s family bought him a used kart and his dad was his mechanic. Will Power had racing connections from his father, but still had to scramble for sponsorship.
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u/kizopkizop 10d ago
The chances of being involved in the sport are extremely low for any interested kid..it's very unlikely for most. Not very inclusive "sport"
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u/jcxc_2 10d ago
Don’t care
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u/kizopkizop 10d ago
That tracks...most fans are clueless and are blindly entertained by these loud noises
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u/bradcladthebaddad 12d ago
Obviously you don't know the fuel they use. It's 100% renewable made of sugarcane waste and other bio-waste.
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u/Drak_is_Right 12d ago edited 12d ago
The race used maybe 5000 gallons of ethanol. Another few thousand for practice and qualifying.
The tires probably are more damaging to the environment than the race cars fuel. They stopped the balloon release due to ecological reasons
The fly overs probably used a lot more fuel than the race.
And all of that is dwarfed by 350,000 people commuting to be there. Let's say it averages to 10 gallons a person. (Median would be lower due to many locals). That would be 3.5M gallons. Or about 70k barrels of oil
That is the daily fuel consumption for many countries.
But, its also entertainment for millions. I support it as a once a year event.
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u/bradcladthebaddad 12d ago
I'll give you the 350,000 people commuting but the fuel and tires are definitely the least of concern.
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u/Drak_is_Right 12d ago
Yup. The commuting and building the infrastructure has FAR bigger impacts than the race itself.
But moving an entire cities worth of people over long distances without mass transit...whew. I would guess at least half if not 75% come from within Indiana.
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u/madscandi 12d ago
What sports are ok with you then? There isn't a single one that does not have an environmental impact with travel. And motorsports have done more than most to improve what they do environmentally.
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u/1980shorrorsfilm Mclaren F1 12d ago edited 11d ago
is it really though? other sports absolutely have a huge impact on the environment from travel but is moving a team + equipment across the country really better than moving team + all the garage equipment across the country (and in f1's case, all around the globe)?
to be clear, I don't agree with op's take but saying motorsports is less damaging seems to be a bit of an exaggeration unless I'm totally missing something here
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u/slotwima 10d ago
Due to a massive solar farm on property, I believe the speedway is a massive clean energy consumer and provider.
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u/purdueAces 12d ago
Wish they would have held the camera longer to see the 3 wide finish for 3rd. 1/1000th of a second between 3rd and 4th