Beyond the Flag
Fansided

IndyCar: 5 reasons Alexander Rossi’s move was completely acceptable

By Asher Fair

SONOMA, CA - SEPTEMBER 15: Alexander Rossi, driver of the #98 NAPA Auto Parts Honda, sits in his car during practice for the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma at Sonoma Raceway on September 15, 2017 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images)
SONOMA, CA - SEPTEMBER 15: Alexander Rossi, driver of the #98 NAPA Auto Parts Honda, sits in his car during practice for the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma at Sonoma Raceway on September 15, 2017 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images) /
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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 02: Robert Wickens of Team Canada (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 02: Robert Wickens of Team Canada (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images) /

The door was open

Look at the replay of this incident again.

When Alexander Rossi dove to the inside of Robert Wickens in attempt to pass him, there was more than enough room for him to execute the move. This is evidenced by the fact that Rossi was right up beside Wickens heading into turn 1, and when the two cars actually did make contact, they were literally side by side.

The overhead shot of the restart also shows just how much space there was between Wickens and the walls on both sides of him. He was very close to the wall on his left,  while he was several yards away from the wall on his right, the wall marking the inside of turn 1, where Rossi would try to make the potential race-winning move.

Only when Rossi got right up next to Wickens did this door close, and that’s when Rossi slid into Wickens and lost two positions to eventual 1st and 2nd place finishers Sebastien Bourdais and Graham Rahal, respectively, as a result of it.

Oh, and of course, it’s also when Wickens spun out and hit the wall, ending his race in 18th place after dominating the majority of the event from the pole position.