The downhill hairpin left-handed Turn 5 follows a long climb from Turn 2, and it is notoriously difficult to judge the ultimate braking distance for the corner while on a cold set of Firestone’s harder primary compound tyres.
Ed Carpenter Racing's VeeKay led Arrow McLaren SP rival O'Ward for the first two stints of the race from pole position, but his two-second advantage was closed to virtually nothing as both headed for the pits on lap 61 when the Dutchman lost ground in traffic.
