Herta Powers Honda to 10th Manufacturers’ Title

Honda clinched its 10th overall and fourth consecutive NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with a podium sweep today in the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey.

Today’s title clinch comes on the 25th anniversary of Honda’s first IndyCar Manufacturers’ championship, recorded on Sept. 8, 1996, with a 1-4 result for Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Alex Zanardi and Jimmy Vasser. Vasser claimed Honda’s first drivers’ title in the same event.

The Honda one-two-three result was led by Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta, winning from pole for the second consecutive time – just as he did in the series’ last visit to Laguna Seca in 2019. Herta would lead all but four laps in today’s 95-lap event en route to his second victory of 2021.

Championship points leader Alex Palou finished second, extending his points lead over Pato O’Ward to 35 with one race remaining. Former F1 driver Romain Grosjean advanced from 13th on the grid and surviving late-race contact to round out the podium in the #51 Dale Coyne with RWR Honda.

Graham Rahal finished just off the podium in the fourth position, completing a Honda sweep of the top-four positions of the day. For Rahal, it was his seventh top-five finish of the year.

Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Honda Race Results

R – Rookie

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship (unofficial, after 15 of 16 rounds)

 Honda 1,306 points [clinches title]

 Chevrolet 1,175

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Drivers’ Championship Standings

1. Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 517 points [3 wins]
2. Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP 482 [2 wins]
3. Josef Newgarden, Team Penske 469 [2 wins]
4. Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 445 [1 win]

Fast Facts

• This is the ninth INDYCAR victory from 15 races for Honda this season and the second consecutive 1-2-3-4 sweep for the manufacturer. Palou won the Grand Prix of Portland last weekend and was followed to the checkers by fellow Honda drivers Alexander Rossi, Scott Dixon and Jack Harvey.
• In addition to the 1996 title, Manufacturers’ Championships followed for Honda in 1998- 99 and 2001 in Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) competition; and in 2004-05 in the Indy Racing League. From 2006 through 2011, Honda served as the sole engine supplier to the IRL.
• Honda’s current championship streak started in 2018, with all five Honda-powered teams winning at least one race and the company scoring 11 wins in the 17-race season to record its seventh title. The eighth and ninth titles followed in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

Next

 The NTT INDYCAR SERIES concludes next weekend with the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, which will decide the 2021 Drivers’ Championship.