Rossi pulls shocker in winning at Indy
INDIANAPOLIS — Alexander Rossi spent the biggest weekend in auto racing last year in Monaco, looking for a television that was broadcasting the Indianapolis 500. Back then, American was still hoping he could land a full-time ride in Formula One.
He eventually ran out of time.
On Sunday, in the biggest race of his life and as a rookie driver to boot, Rossi almost ran out of gas.
Almost.
Instead, the 24-year-old Rossi outlasted his faster rivals and his fuel tank for a stunning victory in the historic 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, landing him atop the biggest podium in motorsports after his car ran out of gas on the victory lap. This was a win no one — not even Rossi — could have predicted when he decided to return the United States and give IndyCar a chance.
“He had no idea. He honestly had no idea,” said team co-owner Michael Andretti. “He was 100 percent Europe, the way he was training and everything. He never even saw an oval except for Phoenix before this.”
Indeed, Rossi decided at age 10 he wanted to be an F1 driver. He left California for Europe six years later and spent a frustrating time bouncing around as a test driver.
But his options had grown cold, and when Bryan Herta needed a miracle to remain in IndyCar, he signed Rossi and merged his team with Andretti Autosport. That partnership gave Rossi four teammates to work with at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the 24-year-old California native needed help from all of them to make Sunday’s win possible at the centennial edition of “The Greatest Spectacle In Racing.”
“We’ve had our struggles. It’s been a new experience for me,” said Rossi. “We’ve worked very hard every day to try to improve and get things better. It’s just a huge testament to the great people I have around me.”
Rossi’s win allowed the long-suffering Andretti family to celebrate in the biggest race of their storied careers and it left the top drivers in the field fuming over Rossi’s good fortune.
Rossi, a 66-to-1 long shot, stretched his final tank of gas 90 miles to cycle into the lead as others had to duck into the pits for a splash of fuel in the waning laps. He was sputtering on the final lap, working his clutch and getting screamed at by Herta to conserve fuel. He made it — barely.
His victory celebration came after his Honda was towed in so he could climb out to take that sip of milk.
“I have no idea how we pulled that off,” he declared.
“The only actual site of an oval that I’d ever been to was Phoenix in February, I’m definitely a rookie.”
