IndyCar Already Has Its First Driver Beef Of 2016

Bourdais explained his side of the incident to USA Today after qualifying:

I’ll let everybody else judge it, but when you leave the pits on the checkered flag lap and impede your fellow competitor, it doesn’t seem like a bright idea. He forgets to look in his mirrors, but then he looks up when he gets a blue flag. It’s like, “Dude, seriously? What are we doing? Are we in kindergarten here?”

Bourdais also told USA Today that he shared some fault in the incident as well:

I tried to make a point to run up on him, and I ended up in his rear bumper slightly. No harm, no foul, but you hate to find yourself in these situations where all you want to do is be able to work and not be in people’s way and not be impeded. Not being able to do that with a guy you’ve had incidents with before is not really fair racing.

C’mon, dude. Given the way IndyCar aero kits like to leave carbon fiber Easter eggs on track after the slightest of contact, there’s at least some foul in being so aggressive behind a slower car that you hit the back of their car. Problem is, it’s significantly harder to pass on these narrow, walled-in street circuits, too, and slower cars really shouldn’t be keeping faster traffic from making a good, flying lap, either.

Bourdais also indicated to USA Today that Aleshin had already apologized for incidents on Friday, adding to Bourdais’ annoyance factor when Aleshin came out of the pits in front of him during Saturday’s practice.