MOTORSPORT: McLaughlin is an Indy winner
Aussie Supercars champ claims first IndyCar pole and winThree-times Australian Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin is now an IndyCar winner and a serious contender for this year’s prestigious single-seater series in the USA.
He drove like a champion from pole position on the streets of St Petersburg in Florida, led 49 of 100 laps and withstood incredible pressure from reigning champion Alex Palou over the final 20 laps.
McLaughlin was exhausted and crying as he celebrated, but still made a point of mentioning the people battling floods at his former race base on the Gold Coast.
His weekend could not have gone any better as he rebounded from an up-and-down first season in the USA, where he still earned Rookie of the Year honours with the crack Team Penske squad and also managed his first podium result.
The 28-year-old New Zealander was quickest in practice, qualified on pole position, and used a two-stop strategy to run at the front all day in St Pete.
It helped that it was his third time at the Florida track, as he got an early introduction to the circuit after the Bathurst 1000 in 2020, but he dominated from the front as he did on his many winning days in Supercars.
“What a day. It was crazy,” says McLaughlin.
“Really struggled those last couple laps just to keep my head and then save the fuel and all that sort of stuff.”
The IndyCar season opener was also a good race for Aussie Will Power, who finished third, also driving for Penske.
Ride with me onboard for my first @IndyCar pole! #INDYCAR #Thirsty3s pic.twitter.com/lrzHcX9yAe
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin93) February 27, 2022
Matt Brabham, a third-generation Aussie racer who has struggled for success in the USA despite making a start in the classic Indianapolis 500, got his season off to a winning start with victory in the Indy Lights supporting race.
He was gifted the win after the race leader ran out of fuel and another New Zealander, Hunter McElrea, crashed after taking pole position.
McLaughlin arrived in St Pete with a new intensity, a new crew chief in a slimmed-down Penske operation, and the same sort of commitment that took him to the top of Supercars.
He now has the maturity and experience to lead from the front without making mistakes, as well as relying on the tactical calls from the Penske pit-box.
Related: MOTORSPORT: McLaughlin to miss Bathurst 1000
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