From V8 Supercars to V6 superstar

The pressure was intense on Scott McLaughlin. There were two laps to go. Ahead of his Chevrolet-powered Team Penske car was a backmarker, a rookie about whom he knew very little in terms of track ethics or driving style. Behind him – right behind him – was the reigning IndyCar champion, whose skills have rapidly been recognised by all in the sport.

Alex Palou is a man who’s extremely fast, who makes very few mistakes, but who was keen to make up for a big error the day before in second practice. He had clipped the apex wall at Turn 9 and had speared into the concrete on the outside, almost head-on. He had been unhurt but he was mortified at the work he had given both his Chip Ganassi Racing crew and the mechanics from his team-mates’ cars. Heck, Ganassi’s Honda-engined machines had looked off the pace in first practice, the highest only 15th; the last thing they needed was this.

Yet, by the afternoon, they had given Palou a car that was fast enough for him to claim 10th on the grid, only a couple of tenths slower than his six-time champion