The St Petersburg IndyCar race has been red-flagged on Lap 1 after an ugly pile-up.
The drama began when Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing) and Felix Rosenqvist made side-to-side contact as they approached Turn 3, causing the latter to glance the wall.
The McLaren driver slowed as a result, which bottled up the back of the pack and set off mayhem.
Meyer Shank Racing team-mates Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud were already involved in the crash when Benjamin Pedersen (AJ Foyt Racing) t-boned a stricken Devlin DeFrancesco, causing the #29 Andretti Autosport entry to get airborne.
Sting Ray Robb (Dale Coyne Racing w/ RWR) was also caught up in the drama.
The #FirestoneGP is red flagged after this lap 1 incident.#INDYCAR // @GPSTPETE pic.twitter.com/7s50XtKiTi
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 5, 2023
Castroneves, Pagenaud, Pedersen, and DeFrancesco were able to exit their vehicles under their own power, the former with something of a limp, and Robb drove back to the pits.
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DeFrancesco has since already been cleared and left the medical centre.
Both AJ Foyt cars were in fact taken out by the incident, with Santino Ferrucci walking away from the #14 Chevrolet after stopping in the Turn 4 run-off area.
Romain Grosjean had converted pole position into the race lead, with his Andretti Autosport team-mate Colton Herta holding off McLaren’s Pato O’Ward for second place.
Australian viewers can watch live and ad-free on Stan Sport.
Update 05:11 AEDT
Race restarted; Grosjean leads after 15 laps.
CLICK HERE for race report
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