After 1hr45mins delay due to lightning in the area, the race got underway and despite damp patches around the track, all cars started on dry tires, with the top five on alternates, but Josef Newgarden and Will Power on primary compound rubber. However, further rain was sprinkling – fortunately without bringing more lightning.
The initial start saw Scott McLaughlin convert pole position into the lead but Romain Grosjean’s efforts to tuck in behind him squeezed Christian Lundgaard into the wall, forcing him to lose momentum and allow Palou around his outside into Turn 9 (the first turn at the start of the race). Behind them, Pato O’Ward ran fifth, but David Malukas on alternate tires had no problem slipping past Newgarden on primaries, and two laps later Simon Pagenaud did the same to Power for the same reason.
