IndyCar Series news

'It's a touchy subject' - Andretti on back-markers

Lapped traffic has always been an issue for the top men in any motorsport although it is a matter recently highlighted in the IndyCar Series, particularly after Paul Tracy's verbal attack on Milka Duno following the last race at Lexington. Andretti Green driver Marco Andretti discusses the state of affairs.

Andretti understands the general frustration surrounding slower cars

With Duno having been the centre attention at Lexington due to being at the heart of the manoeuvre which saw eventual race winner Scott Dixon take the lead of the race from Ryan Briscoe, Andretti understands the frustration of those such as Tracy but believes that 'what comes around goes around'.

"I guess the main issue with me in that race was that I got criticized for holding up the leaders when they came to lap me," Andretti wrote in his Racer column. "I guess it's a touchy subject, because these things can come back and bite you at another race.

Paul Tracy labelled Milka Duno as a 'disaster' after the race in Lexington

"The thing is, it's so important to stay on the lead lap, so that if there's a full course caution, you can go round and catch up and maybe mix up your strategy. Plus, giving way to three or four cars while you're in a battle of your own - which I was at that time - will lose you so much ground to the person you're fighting with."

Viewing the situation from the other side of the fence, Andretti stressed that being lapped compromises the race times of back-markers as well as leaders. "The other thing to look at is that once I let Will (Power) past me, it's not like he really went anywhere, so I don't know how much quicker he was," Marco explained. "But…I won't make excuses: I absolutely did hold him up, and so I went and talked to him and apologised, and we're fine now."

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