It was known going into IndyCar’s race from Toronto that the small pit boxes could be a problem in a hectic race situation, and it turned out that they indeed played a part in the podium order.
Colton Herta was leading the race when he made his first pit stop, but delays trying to get in and out of his pit box safely meant that his on-track advantage disappeared.
Scott Dixon was able to get past him in the first turn while Herta still had cold tires, and nobody was able to catch him the rest of the afternoon.
Talking after the race, the 22-year-old explained how the tight pit lane very likely cost him a win.
“I felt the in-lap was quite good. The pit stop was fine. It seemed just as fast as we normally do, so we shouldn’t have lost any time on it. That in and out with the cars in front of us, it was really killer.
“I had Felix [Rosenqvist’s] guy set up when I came in, the box in front of me. I got [Scott] McLaughlin coming right in front of me coming out. 30-foot box, we’re really jammed in here at this track.
“I think if I had the lead, I could hold it, as long as I played everything right. I think when you’re that close in lap time, within a 10th, it’s hard to get by, right? Felix was probably a tenth faster than me and couldn’t get by me.
“Yeah, we kind of got a little bit screwed there with the pit selection, I guess. What are you going to do?”
Herta was not the only one that complained about the tight pit stalls, and many drivers had to be extra careful not to make a costly mistake while navigating their way to their crew.
Another instance of troubles caused by the tight quarters saw Josef Newgarden having a hard time parking his car close enough to the pit wall for the fuel hose to reach. His team was able to eventually get his car gassed up, but it cost the two-time champion a chance at the podium.
IndyCar officials have assured drivers that the pit lane setup will be reevaluated before next year’s race in order to fix some of these problems.
