Alexander Rossi shocked the IndyCar world on Sunday as he crossed the line to win the 100th running of the Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, despite this being his rookie season and with almost no oval experience.
The American racer and Formula 1 reserve for the Manor team coasted across the finish line on lap 200 to become the 70th different victor of the Indy 500, admitting after the race he has no idea how it happened.
"I still don't [know what happened]. I'm still on the last lap actually with Bryan [Herta] yelling at me. He is like, pull the clutch in and coast. I'm like, What? Okay," explained the 24-year-old as he crossed the line running on fumes, having completed a 36-lap stint on a single tank of fuel.
"It's an unbelievable result for the team. Just is a testament to how hard everyone has worked this entire month. We've been strong from day one, on Monday. It's made my life that much easier."
Rossi joked after the race that he would need a psychiatrist because of the emotional stress of the day.
"It won't sink in for a while. I don't want it to. I want to enjoy this moment, enjoy it with the people around me. It's obviously a huge honor and privilege, something I'm going to carry with a great sense of responsibility.
"The emotional rollercoaster of this race is ridiculous," he added. "There were moments where I was stoked, moments where were heartbroken, moments where I was stoked again. I need to see a psychiatrist after this."
