Chip Ganassi Racing’s Palou was running second to Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta when he ran wide at Turn 5 just before half distance, allowing Team Penske’s Newgarden to get a run on him into the uphill left-hander at Turn 6.
As they arrived in the braking zone, Indy 500 winner Newgarden squeezed him at the turn-in point, causing a collision that sent Palou wide onto the run-off.
Although Palou stated “he didn’t give me enough room”, he accepted Newgarden’s belief that he had left him a full car’s width of space.
“It was my mistake,” Palou said of his initial error. “I was saving fuel. I braked just a little bit [at] the apex. The off-line was more slippery.
“Just got over on the exit kerb, got a big snap of oversteer, lost a position there. Completely my fault.”
Of the collision that followed, he added: “Then, yeah, we touch. Obviously, he didn't give me enough room, but he already apologised. Honestly, I knew he was not doing it on purpose. It was just he thought that there was enough room.
“So, no issues at all. I did that to somebody, I think it was St. Pete. You open a little bit the corner to make it happen, suddenly you touch.
“It looks worse on TV than what it feels on the car. Yeah, I mean, coming from Josef, I know it was not on purpose.”
Source: Autosport