They both did what I would do

Hamilton’s attempt to overtake the Copse corner at Sunday’s British Grand Prix resulted in a contact that knocked Verstappen’s Red Bull Racing Honda off the track and hard into the safety barrier.

The Dutch ace started the race 33 points ahead of the seven-time reigning champion after qualifying for the sprint race, but Verstappen’s DNF and Hamilton’s win have now closed that gap to just eight points.

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Given that Hamilton’s determination to make the pass was certainly reinforced by Verstappen as his only true title rival, Motorsport.com asked Palou if he had a goal on his back as the IndyCar points leader and if he was therefore uncompromising, no-margin challenges expect

“I think it’s always like that at IndyCar!” The Chip Ganassi Racing Honda ace smiled. “In Mid-Ohio, we come into contact with different people at every race. All overtaking maneuvers are at the limit … The race in IndyCar is like that. I think it’s also the nice thing about the championship and these cars allow contact.

“Do I expect some drivers to be more aggressive towards me? I do not think so. Maybe the guys fight more like we say Pato [O’Ward], Joseph [Newgarden], and [teammates] Scott [Dixon], Marcus [Ericsson]… Man, I think everyone is fighting super hard here at IndyCar.

“In Road America with Newgarden we didn’t even know how we were in the championship. We fought super hard and touched wheel to wheel. He wasn’t super hard on me, I wasn’t super hard on him.

“I wouldn’t change my attitude towards him now. Maybe he would be more aggressive towards me now, but I don’t know.

“If you say that Hamilton made this aggressive move and had limited space, then it was certain that it was Verstappen – if it had been a different guy it wouldn’t have happened – just because” [they] fight for the championship.

“I expect something like this to happen. What would I do if that happened? I do not know. Secure [if I was Verstappen] I wouldn’t make it easy for Hamilton. But if I were Hamilton I would have. In my opinion, both of them did what I would do in their place.

“Perhaps now that you see the consequences of being Verstappen, you say, ‘OK, let it happen’. But in racing you can’t just let someone pass! “

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Palou is currently 39 points ahead of O’Ward (Arrow McLaren SP-Chevrolet), 56 ahead of Dixon and 69 points ahead of Newgarden (Team Penske-Chevrolet).

Dario Franchitti, who works as a driver advisor at Ganassi, for whom he won three of his four IndyCar championships, was asked what advice he would give Palou if he encountered one of his competitors in a 50/50 overtaking attempt.

“The problem is, you have to make decisions in no time at all,” said the 31-time race winner. “The decision cannot be taught. The instinct must be present for this.

“I think Alex is right: he will drive people the way he has driven them all season. “Don’t forget what brought you here … – driving a certain path, not being crazy aggressive, always keeping a good balance.” I think he did.

“Yes, [my advice would be]’Just go on like you did before. So far it has worked. ‘”

When asked if he had learned to drive the Ganassi way – “If you can’t be first, be second; If you can’t be second, be third ”- even before joining Chip Ganassi’s legendary team, Franchitti replied:“ I have certainly learned through my career. Most of all I learned when I first came to Indy Car.

“That was my advice to Alex. There was a time when I had a car in third place, pushed into second place, and crashed.

“I think it’s something I learned from mistakes to know when to go. What does that say ‘Do you know when to hold them, you know when to fold them.’ I think I learned that with experience. “