Colton Herta navigated all manner of changing weather conditions and seven full-course cautions to win a chaotic 2022 Grand Prix of Indianapolis from 14th on the starting grid, while Will Power took the championship lead heading into the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500.
It was IndyCar’s first wet race for three years, since when the series introduced its Aeroscreen. Immediately, there was action at the front of the field: In a fantastic sequence of opening laps, Álex Palou took the lead from pole-winner Will Power, then Pato O’Ward passed Palou just a few corners later to lead the first lap. Colton Herta, who started 14th, took a risk and pitted for slick tyres after just two laps. The strategy paid dividends as he eventually rejoined behind O’Ward.
After nearly crashing at turn eight, Herta wrestled control of his Andretti on full opposite lock, then ripped around the outside of O’Ward, and moved into the lead once the rest of the field pitted on lap five. This would, in hindsight, be the most adversity Herta faced as he went on to lead 50 out of 75 laps that were completed on the day.
The race ran to its maximum two hour time limit thanks to multiple full-course cautions and heavy rainfall late in the race. The first caution came on lap six when Palou spun off and stopped at turn ten. On lap 16, Josef Newgarden was contesting fifth place against Takuma Sato – after being overtaken, he was caught between Alexander Rossi and Jack Harvey. Harvey turned Newgarden around, sending the Penske spinning around. Newgarden would finish 15 laps down in 25th place.
Racing resumed on lap 21, but made it only three corners before the caution flags were waved again: 2021 Indy GP winner Rinus VeeKay was pushed off course, and slid right into the path of rookie Devlin DeFrancesco who collided with VeeKay. A spin for Dalton Kellett at turn six brought out the fourth full course caution. Marcus Ericsson, who’d pitted back on lap 18 during the second caution, moved…