MIM driver’s second-row qualifying in Portland frustrated by tire degradation in the race…

Alex Palou is absolutely determined to finish his 2022 Indycar season in style after the penultimate round of the championship in Portland ended with a less-than-satisfactory 12th place in the race. Palou’s weekend had started well, with the driver getting more and more confidence in his #10 CRG Dallara-Honda (featuring the distinctive green livery) during practice. “We need to tweak a couple of things for qualifying”, Palou had said, and it seemed to turn out well as he advanced to the Fast Six on Saturday and his best lap time was promoted from 5th to P4 on the grid following Newgarden’s six-slot grid penalty for an unscheduled engine change.
Palou was confident to get a good result in Portland, but his race was frustrated from the beginning by serious tire degradation issues and an overall lack of pace. In particular, when he had to fit two set of hard-compound tires in the final pit-stops, he lost a lot of speed. “We need to check out what happened in the race, I had a lot of deg (degradation) and a slow pace”. At one point, a radio conversation occurred between the driver and his pit wall to check for possible damage on the car. Palou finished the race in 12th position, meaning that both he and Pato O’Ward lost the chance to win the series ahead of the Laguna Seca finale next weekend. Nevertheless, 25-years-old Palou has all the intention to win in California, where he came out fastest last week in a 13-car testing session at the Raceway.