The first race of IndyCar’s double-header in Detroit was red-flagged on lap 27 of 70 after Felix Rosenqvist was sent into the barriers with a suspected stuck throttle.
The Arrow McLaren SP driver was tackling the Turn 6 right-hander when his throttle appeared to become stuck on and he crashed heavily into the tyre-lined barriers.
He dislodged the concrete barrier and some of the tyres from the tyre wall in front of it were sent over the fence and into the adjacent park, such was the force of the impact.
Rosenqvist was cautiously extracted from his wrecked IndyCar by the medical team and has been taken to a local hospital for full evaluation.
He was visibly conscious and alert in the aftermath of the incident, with the series and his team confirming this in the first official update about his condition.
IndyCar medic Dr Geoffrey Billows added that Rosenqvist had been “conscious and alert the entire time”, and reported “no loss of sensation anywhere” and “no loss of function”.
The series restarted the race once the repairs to the wall were completed, just under an hour and a half after the accident, and intends to run the full scheduled distance.
The red flag changes the complexion of the race with some drivers yet to make their pitstop at the time of the stoppage.
Six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon, who started on the harder tyres in 11th place on the grid, now leads the race ahead of Andretti’s James Hinchcliffe and Santino Ferrucci.
Alexander Rossi is the highest-placed driver who had made a pitstop prior to the red flag in fourth place ahead of Graham Rahal (yet to pit) and polesitter Pato O’Ward.
Second-place starter Rossi passed O’Ward while the duo were fighting through the traffic following their first pitstops.
Points leader Alex Palou, who started last, is now eighth while third-place starter Romain Grosjean is down in 17th place, having made two pitstops.
REPLAY: @josefnewgarden having tire issues early at @detroitgp.
📺: @NBC
📲: INDYCAR Mobile – https://t.co/vyuISIgHnX#INDYCAR // #DetroitGP pic.twitter.com/mr3WyXptPD— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) June 12, 2021
Two-time IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden lost a tyre from his Penske-run machine following his first pitstop, dropping him to a lap down.
Elsewhere, rookie Jimmie Johnson stopped in the early stages of the race with a throttle pedal issue.
