McLaughlin strong at Iowa, McLaren returns to form in F1. Your week in motorsport
Great kiwi performances in Indycar and McLaren goes back-to-back podiums in F1.
Jul 24, 2023
Scott McLaughlin and Scott Dixon drove strong aces at Iowa. Dixon remains within the championship fight.
Image credits: Chip Ganassi Racing, Penske Racing, Andretti Autosport, McLaren F1 Racing Team, Formula 1 social media accounts
McLaughlin impresses at Iowa
Both Scott McLaughlin and Scott Dixon performed well in the opening race of the Indycar round from Iowa this weekend.
With a superb run, Scott McLaughlin finished second in a Team Penske 1-2, behind fellow Penske driver, Josef Newgarden who secured victory in the 250-lap race and moved up to second in the standings.
Scott Dixon's sixth-place finish helped him slightly close the gap to championship leader Alex Palou, but despite remaining in contention with the front pack, Dixon wasn’t entirely happy with grip. Newgarden won the race with a decisive move past McLaughlin and pole-sitter Will Power to take the win.
Rookie, Marcus Armstrong would miss the Iowa race as he is not competing on oval tracks this season.
The Kiwis were prominent figures in the second race of the double-header too. McLaughlin’s Penske Teamate Josef Newgarden would ultimately emerge as the winner, dominating the 250-lap race, but McLaughlin showcased his strength early on, battling with his teammates Will Power and Newgarden. Despite some strong moments from McLaughlin, briefly leading the pack and putting up a fierce fight for the top positions, but the cards didn’t fall his way with caution periods in race 2 and the team had to adjust strategy which left the former Supercar aces struggling to stay at the front.
McLaughlin would salvage fifth with Dixon, who expressed some frustration with the speed of his Number 9 Chip Ganassi Racing car this weekend, would come home sixth.
Dixon remains in the battle for a seventh Indycar Championship, sitting on 357 points, Newgarden is in second on 397 points and Alex Palou is leading on 477 points.
Meanwhile in the feeders, Indycar NXT series, Kiwi, Hunter McElrea displayed an impressive performance in the rain-delayed support race. Close, but clean racing produced only one caution period of the race, on Lap 60, evaporating Christian Rasmussen’s lead, which had narrowed to about five seconds, giving McElrea a sniff at P1 but the right front wheel of McElrea’s car and the left rear of Nolan Siegel’s No. 39 HMD Motorsports car touched as they raced side by side for second into turn 2, forcing Siegel into a spin with no contact.
After a series of intense battles and position swaps, McElrea managed to secure a fifth-place finish.
12 wins on the trot for Verstappen, McLaren and Mercedes back on song.
Max Verstappen has claimed another victory for Red Bull, extending his lead in the 2023 championship. While an amazing feat, there's no surprises there. Verstappen and Red Bull are on a flyer this season.
Arguably the bigger news is Mercedes and McLaren have both appeared to resolve early season issues that were hampering performance and that was confirmed this weekend with Lewis Hamilton qualifying on Pole Position ahead of Verstappen and McLaren’s second consecutive podium.
In the race, Hamilton would lose the start, falling behind Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, and Lando Norris. He later struggled with Perez's alternate strategy but managed to secure fourth place with a late overtake on Piastri.
McLaren drivers, Norris and Piastri, had a strong showing during the race, with Norris finishing in a solid second place, and Piastri eventually settling for fifth after the battle with Hamilton.
After a fairytale start to the 2023 season, Aston Martin had a quiet race at Hungary, Fernando Alonso finishing in ninth place and Lance Stroll in tenth, both securing minor points for the team.
