Alexander Rossi in the No.7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet says that it was a difficult day for him and the team in the XPEL Grand Prix of Road America where the 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner started the race from ninth place and came home in 18th place and speaking following the action, the Californian native stated:
“Today was a difficult day. We had a wiring issue on the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet that resulted in a wastegate failure. We have some work to do to get back in this in Laguna Seca.”
Theo Pourchaire in the No.6 onsemi Chevrolet started the race from 18th place and came home in 13th which was a great result for the Frenchman as he continues to get used to competing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Speaking following the race, he said:
“I think we had a strong race, going from starting 18th to finish P13. Of course, we wanted a little bit more. I was lucky to avoid the crash in Turn 1 at the start. Then, I think we pitted a little bit too early and had an issue with refueling on that pit stop, so we lost a little bit of time there. The pace of the No. 6 onsemi Arrow McLaren Chevrolet was good, though; I was happy with the balance and was able to push mid-race. It’s another strong job by the team, and it’s just a matter of time before we put it all together and finish in a good position.”
Pato O’Ward in the No.5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet started the race from 11th place and came home in 8th and heads to Laguna Seca in fourth place in the championship and speaking following his day in the car he commented saying:
“We had a good recovery today, which seems to be the story of our season lately. It’d be nice to have a clean start for once. As for the rest of the race, we just had to keep our head down and push forward. I’m glad we scored some decent points today for the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet team.”
Arrow McLaren Team Principal Gavin Ward said:
“It was a long day. Pato had a good recovery to finish 8th after finding himself down in 20th as he avoided the melee on Lap 1, which was no fault of his own. It was a big disappointment on our side with an electrical issue letting down the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet car, which caused a loss of engine power. It ruined what was looking like a promising day up to that point for Alexander. Also, it was a bit of a trying day through the exchanges on the No. 6 onsemi Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. We need to look at what we could have done better there. No rest for us as we head off to test in Milwaukee in a couple days, so we’re on to that.”