After being lambasted by runner-up Alexander Rossi for “one of the most disrespectful things I’ve ever seen in a race car,” Oriol Servia defended his Indianapolis 500 maneuvers.
The Spaniard’s Dallara-Honda was a lap down with fewer than 50 laps remaining when he nearly made contact with Rossi, who was running in the top five.
After nearly hitting the inside wall on the frontstretch, Rossi passed Servia on the outside down the frontstretch the following lap.
Rossi wildly shook his right hand outside the cockpit while hanging onto the wheel with his left at 230 mph.
FULL INDIANAPOLIS 500 COVERAGE: Stories from two weeks in May at IMS
“He’s a lap down and defending, putting me to the wall at 230 miles an hour,” Rossi said of Servia.
“It’s unacceptable. It’s unacceptable for him, and it’s unacceptable that IndyCar allowed it to happen as long as they did.”
In a series of tweets Tuesday night, Servia defended his actions, which he said were permitted by IndyCar rules (his driving wasn’t penalized by the stewards).
Not long ago the rule about lapped cars having to allow the leaders pass was changed. You are allowed to fight for your on track position so you can try to get your lap back. I was the most uncomfortable of all drivers but it's just how the race evolved. My lap back was possible https://t.co/iWVapWWAml
— Oriol Servia (@OriolServia) May 28, 2019
Servia also noted that he was in a situation similar to third-place finisher Takuma Sato, and that if he’d caught the right breaks on cautions and how the race unfolded for other cars, he could have been back on the lead lap.
Exactly. I've been a lap down before and be contending for the win not many laps after in this race. That doesn't make it a pleasant situation for anybody but it simply is one more factor in the race. https://t.co/RYF35WxbMU
— Oriol Servia (@OriolServia) May 29, 2019
Some "cars" could have to come in for a splash, cars could crash, many situations could have put me directly in front the leader which would put me back in the lead lap. I understand the disconfort for others but my position there was as legit as anyone's. https://t.co/EngKW56sTY
— Oriol Servia (@OriolServia) May 29, 2019
For the second consecutive year, the Indy 500 is Servia’s only scheduled IndyCar race this season. He will return to driving the pace car for the NTT Series in serveral races, which he discussed on a recent episode of the NASCAR on NBC Podcast.
