An Indianapolis 500 rookie who only a few months ago lost his drive in Formula One thanks to sport’s extortionate pay driver rates won the 100th installment of North America’s most famous race in front of nearly 400,000 people at the Brickyard.
Alexander Rossi, the 24-year-old American, had almost no experience of oval racing before taming the fearsome Indianapolis Motor Speedway, winning ahead of a vastly more experienced field.
While the rest of the leaders had to pit for fuel near the finish, Rossi and his team Andretti-Herta gambled, almost coasting through the chequered flag with barely any fuel left in the car.
Not only is it the first win for a rookie in the Indy 500 for 15 years it also marks an astonishing turnaround for Rossi, a talented victim of Formula One’s pay driver market. Rossi raced in five grand prix for Manor last year, with a best of 12that the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
"It was close obviously [on fuel], too close for comfort," Rossi admitted. "But obviously the people on the timing stand knew what was going on and we made it work.
"It's an unbelievable result for the team. Just is a testament to how hard everyone has worked this entire month. We've been strong from day one, on Monday. It's made my life that much easier.
The American joked he needed a psychiatrist after a topsy-turvy race in which the established names lost out. Englishman Max Chilton, also a former driver with Manor and an Indy 500 rookie, finished 15th.
"It won't sink in for a while,” Rossi added. “I don't want it to. I want to enjoy this moment, enjoy it with the people around me. It's obviously a huge honour and privilege, something I'm going to carry with a great sense of responsibility.
"The emotional rollercoaster of this race is ridiculous. There were moments where I was stoked, moments where were heartbroken, moments where I was stoked again. I need to see a psychiatrist after this.”
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