Rossi’s shunt after 15mins was a strange one, the car fishtailing viciously on the exit of the final turn, despite not initially riding the curbs. The #27 Andretti car, which had been seventh fastest up to that point, escaped its drivers’ control, went onto the grass and smacked an unprotected part of the barrier, most heavily with its right-rear corner.
The top of the rear attenuator was torn off, and thrown across the track just as Rossi’s semi-teammate Helio Castroneves arrived on the scene, and the right-front tire rode over the carbonfiber shard, picking up a puncture. Bizarrely, an IndyCar regulation meant that Castroneves would have to sit out the restarted session for five minutes, since he had required a tow-in.
