Scott McLaughlin wants to turn the page after ‘one of the lowest points’ in his IndyCar career: “Its something that I’ll learn from”
Scott McLaughlin is looking to turn the corner following his recent stretch of races marked by underwhelming results. The 32-year-old endured a month of May to forget, being involved in several incidents throughout the different races held during the month.
While the Team Penske driver appeared to enjoy an impressive outing at the Sonsio Grand Prix, the remainder of his races through the month were marred by crashes and incidents. The Kiwi native crashed twice during the Indy 500 race weekend, including on the warm-up lap, which spelled the end of his Indianapolis race.
However, ahead of the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 event, McLaughlin has stated he is hoping for a more positive outing at the Gateway race.
“That whole month was pretty tough. It started really well. It ended in a couple bad ways. It was one of, if not the lowest, points of my career. But it’s something that I’ll learn from. Champions are made learning from their mistakes,” McLaughlin said while sharing his thoughts with the media [via The Associated Press].
The seven-time IndyCar race winner was also involved in an incident during the recent Detroit Street Grand Prix, where he clattered into Arrow McLaren’s Nolan Siegel.
McLaughlin will now shift his focus to recording a largely clean and impressive race as the series takes to the oval course for the next round of the calendar.
Scott McLaughlin speaks about beating Alex Palou at Gateway race
Scott McLaughlin also touched on the possibility of clinching a race victory ahead of Alex Palou at the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 event. The 32-year-old remains without a race win so far this season.
The Team Penske driver, who kicked off the campaign with pole position at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix, has largely seen his form dip since the Florida race. In contrast, Palou has achieved his best start to an IndyCar season ever, clinching five victories from the seven races held so far.
McLaughlin also opened up when quizzed about the possibility of putting an end to the Chip Ganassi driver’s dominant run at the upcoming oval race.
“I definitely don’t think anyone’s unstoppable. I think when they’re going through a purple patch, they’re executing like they are, it’s tough. You have to figure out where you can be better and stronger and adapt to that. I enjoy that challenge. He’s on a great run. There’s no stopping us from learning where we can improve and where we can be better," he was quoted as saying by AP.
We have some great tracks coming up for us. Just got to keep our heads down, keep focused, and learn as much as we can.”
Scott McLaughlin, through his career, boasts two race victories at oval circuits—Iowa and Milwaukee. The New Zealand driver will now aim for his third oval win when the green flag is waved at the famed St. Louis event.