Alex Palou backed up his championship-winning season by grabbing a podium in Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, and he did so without critical information on his steering wheel.
IndyCar drivers are used to having real-time information displayed on their steering wheel to help them get the most out of the situation.
Data including lap times, gaps to other drivers, fuel numbers, and more can be easily accessed by the drivers whenever they need.
Palou did not have any of that information at his disposal, however, and his team also struggled to get accurate data from the car back to the pit wall.
The Spaniard was still able to drive from 10th on the grid to a second place finish, and was very close to challenging Scott McLaughlin for the win.
“We didn’t have anything,” Palou confirmed after the race. “Well, yeah, we didn’t have any data, so I don’t think that the team was able to see the fuel we had.
“I was not able to see the fuel I was hitting, so that makes it a bit hard. But anyway, I think we have enough fuel now for the next race, also.”
Palou’s comments hint at the fact that the team had to overfill the car with fuel to make sure he did not run out before the checkered flag.
Although the fuel numbers were the most important, Palou also confirmed that he did not have any lap times displayed on his dash. The absence of that information is generally problematic as teams often tell drivers to hit specific lap times for strategy purposes.
Despite the technical troubles, Palou was able to manage the race perfectly and heads into the race at Texas Motor Speedway second in the points standings.
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