TheDetroit Grand Prix (branded as theChevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear Corporation for sponsorship reasons) is anIndyCar Series race weekend held on a temporary circuit inDetroit, Michigan. The race has been held from 1989 to 2001, 2007 to 2008, 2012 to 2019, and since 2021. Since 2012, the event has been scheduled for the weekend immediately following theIndianapolis 500.
The origins of the event date back to theFormula OneDetroit Grand Prix on theDetroit street circuit. TheCART series began headlining the event in 1989, and in 1992, the race moved from downtown Detroit toBelle Isle, a park situated on an island in theDetroit River, which is the longest serving venue of the race. The IndyCar Series took over the race beginning in 2007. The race has been supported byIndy Lights andFormula Atlantic and top-level sports car series such as theTrans-Am Series and theALMS. From 2023, the race returned to the downtown streets around theRenaissance Center using a circuit partially based on the originalDetroit street circuit used by Formula One and CART.
Open wheel racing in Detroit dates back to the 1920s to 1950s, whenAAA held the Detroit 100 at theMichigan State Fairgrounds Speedway. AAA also held one five-mile (8 km), non-championship race atGrosse Pointe in 1905.
The race dates back to1982 when it was aFormula One World Championship event held on theDetroit street circuit encompassing theRenaissance Center. The original circuit was 2.493 miles (4.012 km) with seventeen corners and proved to be even slower thanMonaco. The rough, demanding course included a railroad track crossing and mimicked Monaco, with a tunnel on the main straight. While officially theDetroit Grand Prix, it was also referred to as theUnited States Grand Prix East because there were multiple Grand Prix races in the U.S. at the time. By the time of the1988 race, theFIA, the governing body of Formula One, had declared the street circuit's temporary pits and garages were not up to the required standard. The race was already the least popular Grand Prix on the calendar and after a very difficult 1988 Grand Prix the drivers became outspoken with their dislike of the event.
For1989, race organizers planned to move the race to a new temporary circuit onBelle Isle, a city park in theDetroit River.[1][2] Along with the criticism of the downtown circuit, local developers were also planning to begin construction along portions of the course, making it difficult to set up in the coming years.[3] The relocation plan to Belle Isle was immediately met with stiff local opposition, both public and political. Even though the circuit would be temporary, permanent garages and pit facilities would have needed to be constructed, at significant expense, and at the odds ofconservation groups. Also against their favor was a budding interest to relocate the United States Grand Prix toLaguna Seca. That track was courting Formula One, having recently completed capital improvements, and having just hosted a highly successfulUnited States motorcycle Grand Prix.[4] Furthermore, an upstart group inPhoenix was also aggressively vying for the race.[5]
In October 1988, the plan to move to Belle Isle was scrapped.[6][7] Formula One left Detroit permanently, and a short time later, it was officially announced that the U.S. Grand Prix was moving toPhoenix.
For1989, the race in Detroit was replaced by aCART series event.[8] Instead of moving to Belle Isle, CART utilized a slightly modified version of the existing downtownRenaissance Center street circuit. The chicane on the main straight was eliminated – something the F1 drivers had been calling for since the first race in 1982. The CART race was held on this 2.52-mile (4.06 km) layout for three years. As had been the case in the event's Formula One days, competitors and fans continued to pan the course, criticizing it for its bumpiness, poor visibility and overall poor layout.
The 1991 event was perhaps the last straw in what was an embarrassment for the organizers. In addition to a disintegrating track made worse by suffocating heat and humidity, it sawMario Andretti crash hisLola head-on into a tow truck. The safety crew was attempting to removeDennis Vitolo's stalled car from a blind corner at St. Antoine and East Jefferson Streets. Seconds laterMichael Andretti came onto the scene, and crashed into Vitolo's car attempting to avoid his father's wrecked car. Ultimately, promoters considered the downtown circuit a money-loser, and claimed it was suffering from poor television ratings with itsFather's Day date (up against theU.S. Open).[9][10]
Beginning in1992, the race was moved to a new temporary course set up onBelle Isle. The move revived a conceptual plan for the Formula One event from four years earlier. One major difference that made Belle Isle viable for CART – and acceptable to locals – was that permanent Formula One style garages and pits were not required by the sanctioning body. The race was also moved up a week, and for 1992, was the first race after theIndianapolis 500 (displacing the traditionalMilwaukee Mile). The first layout measured 2.1 miles (3.4 km). Almost immediately, the new course was criticized by drivers for being narrow, slow, and lacking passing zones. It was complemented, however, for its smoothness - a sharp contrast to the rough,manhole-dotted downtown circuit.[11][12] Fans' opinions were mixed, as sightlines were improved over the downtown circuit, but access to the island was difficult, and the racing was not much better.
In 1998, the course layout was modified to eliminate the slow "Picnic Way" segment and series of corners. Instead, the course continued straight along Central Avenue to create a long, fairly-wide straightaway leading into a competitive passing zone. The track then measured 2.346 miles (3.776 km). The revised layout was praised by competitors as being an improvement over the original (1992–1997) course. However, pavement transitions from asphalt to concrete were being blamed for an increase in incidents due to slickness.[13]
The2000 event saw young BrazilianHélio Castroneves score his firstCART victory forMarlboro Team Penske. After hisvictory lap, he stopped on the front stretch and climbed the catch fencing in an apparent effort to share his joy with the spectators. Helio became known as "Spider-Man" because of this celebration, which he repeated in his later victories.
Support races for the Detroit Grand Prix included theMotor City 100 for theSCCATrans-Am Series, and theNeon Challenge celebrity race. Scenes from the filmDriven were filmed during the race weekend in 2000.[14]
The event, along with theMichigan 500, provided two CART races in southern Michigan annually.
Even though the track was a temporary street course, it became known asThe Raceway on Belle Isle. As the years went by, the track was increasingly criticized for its narrowness, poor access, and its overall uncompetitive nature. The once smooth surface was aging in the harsh Detroit winters, and along with it came bumps, cracks andpotholes. The circuit gained a reputation of being the "worst" and "least popular" venue on the entire schedule.[15] In 1997, it was noted that race winnerGreg Moore started seventh and did not pass a single car competitively out on the track for position all day.[16][17] Participants also disliked the facility because of its lack of paved areas for support activities. Paddock areas were often muddy and unable to accommodate the teams.
After the 2001 race, CART's contract with Belle Isle expired. Attendance had been noticeably slipping.[18] Negotiations to continue the event went over the summer,[19] but eventually stalled. Organizers briefly entertained an idea to return to the old downtown circuit,[20] but those plans were quickly scuttled.[21] The series chose to drop the race from the schedule and the event went on hiatus.
In 2006,Roger Penske spearheaded talks to revive the race for 2007 as part of theALMS andIndyCar Series schedules. Penske had recently experienced tremendous success as head of theSuper Bowl XL Detroit Metro Host Committee. On September 29, 2006, it was announced that the Detroit Indy Grand Prix would return as the tenth race of the ALMS's 12-race season and penultimate race of the IndyCar Series' seventeen-race schedule.
To improve access to the track, a park-and-ride system, similar to what was used at Super Bowl XL, was implemented. Further paddock and track work was completed before the race. The 2007 event attracted a strong crowd, and was considered a success. It was held again in 2008. During this period, the event utilized the original (1992–1997) course layout, with some minor improvements. Some of the barriers were moved back, particularly inside the apexes of some of the turns, to effectively widen some curves and improve sight lines. Some barriers, including the metal guardrail on the pit straight, had been entirely removed.
On December 18, 2008, the scheduled race for 2009 was canceled. The ongoingautomotive economic crisis, and its impact on the Detroit-area was the primary reason.Roger Penske did not rule out a return in the future.[22][23]
For the 2012 season, the race on Belle Isle was revived for a second time.[24][25] The event was situated on the weekend immediately after theIndianapolis 500. Starting in 2013, the race was hosted as a unique "doubleheader" weekend. The race weekend would consist of two separate, points-paying races, one each on Saturday and Sunday. The races were treated as separate events, with separate qualifying, full championship points, and the results of the first had no bearing on the lineup for the second (as had been the case with some previous "twin" race formats). Beginning in 2013, the race also returned to the more popular and more competitive "long" course (1998–2001 layout).[26]
On April 6, 2020, IndyCar announced the cancellation of the2020 edition due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. Organizers stated that Michigan'sstay-at-home order (which was extended through April 30)[27] would hinder the necessary preparations to hold the race, and that the race could not be reasonably rescheduled due to other events having been booked on Belle Isle already. The race returned in its traditional double header format for 2021.[28] On September 19, 2021, IndyCar announced that the Detroit Grand Prix would be altered from a two race weekend to a single race weekend as part of their2022 schedule.[29]
Mere weeks after the 2022 IndyCar schedule was announced, Penske Entertainment Group revealed that altering the Detroit Grand Prix to a single race weekend was done as part of a proposal discussed with the city of Detroit to return the race back to the Renaissance Center, utilizing a new downtown circuit beginning in 2023. In November 2021, the City Council of Detroit unanimously approved Penske Entertainment's plan and announced an initial three-year contract to return the Detroit Grand Prix back to the downtown streets for a single race weekend beginning in 2023.[30]
The new downtown circuit is based on lessons learned from theNashville street circuit. It is designed to be less disruptive to city traffic while also being more accessible to spectators and having more points of visibility to the racing than the old Detroit street circuit. The new circuit features ten corners and is 1.7 miles in length compared to the 2.5 mile circuit used by Formula One and CART and the 2.35 mile Raceway on Belle Isle.[31] It travels from the start/finish line on Atwater Street and heads onto Schwarzer Street, Franklin Street, and Rivard Street in the first series of corners. From Rivard Street drivers make a sharp left turn onto the circuit's most prominent feature, a 0.7 mile straightaway down East Jefferson Avenue. This straightaway is the longest straightaway on an IndyCar street circuit. The circuit then turns onto Bates Street before heading back onto Atwater Street. The only part of the old Detroit street circuit used on the new circuit is the old circuit's 16th and 17th corners that were then known asThe Ford Corner. On the new circuit this section includes the 8th and 9th corners. Neither of the tunnels nor side streets used on the old Detroit street circuit are used on the new circuit to minimize impact on local businesses and city traffic around downtown Detroit.[32] To increase spectator viewership IndyCar and Penske Entertainment offer free viewership at multiple points along the circuit.[33] In 2021, the Detroit City Council stated the entire circuit would be fully resurfaced before the race.[30]
Downtown Renaissance Center Street Circuit (1989–1991).
1989:Emerson Fittipaldi touched wheels withMario Andretti on lap 2, puncturing a tire and sending him to the back of the field. But Fittipaldi charged from 27th position to second place in the closing laps. PolesitterMichael Andretti led 52 of the first 54 laps, but a radio wire became tangled in the throttle pedal. On lap 55, the throttle pedal stuck sending Andretti into a barrier.Scott Pruett was now leading the race by 17 seconds, but was forced to back off to conserve fuel. Fittipaldi blew by Pruett with four laps to go to take the victory.[34][35]
1990:Michael Andretti started from the pole position and led wire-to-wire, winning the race in dominating fashion.Danny Sullivan was running close behind in second place on lap 46 when during his final pit stop, an impact wrench failed. The wheel was not properly fastened, and on the out-lap, the drive pegs on the wheel broke, putting him out of the race.Bobby Rahal nursing brakes, finished second, over one minute and 48 seconds behind Andretti. Rahal held offEmerson Fittipaldi who finished close behind in third.[36]
1991:Emerson Fittipaldi, expecting the birth of his fifth child, was leadingBobby Rahal in the closing laps when gearbox problems arose. With seven laps to go, Fittipaldi's car kept jumping out of gear. He was mostly forced to hold the gearshift lever to hold the car in gear with his right hand, and steer with only his left hand, on the rough, bumpy, demanding circuit. Rahal charged hard, but Fittipaldi held him off for the victory by 0.29 seconds. The race is best-remembered for a bizarre incident involvingMario andMichael Andretti. On lap 48,Dennis Vitolo stalled in turn four with a seized transmission. Safety crew tended to Vitolo's car, hooking up a tow rope. Mario Andretti came around what was a blind corner, locked up his brakes, and rammed hard into the back of the safety truck. The nose of the car was wedged underneath the truck's bumper, and the track was nearly blocked. A couple cars (including Fittipaldi) skirted by the scene, but seconds later, Michael Andretti slid and crashed into the back of Vitolo's car. The track was now completely blocked, and the red flag was put out to clean up the scene.[37][38] This would be the final race held at the Renaissance Center circuit until 2023.
Belle Isle "original" course (1992–1997, 2007–2012).
1992: For 1992, the race was moved to a new circuit on Belle Isle.[9][10]Michael Andretti led the early laps, withPaul Tracy (subbing forRick Mears) andBobby Rahal close behind. Tracy made a daring pass on lap 38 for the lead going into turn one, nearly touching wheels with Andretti. On lap 58, Tracy was leading Andretti, with Bobby Rahal in third. All three cars were nose-to-tail. Andretti attempted to pass Tracy for the lead, but this time, the two cars touched. Both Tracy and Andretti slid high and scraped the concrete wall, allowing Bobby Rahal to slip by both to take the lead. Tracy later dropped out with gearbox failure, but Andretti stayed with Rahal, despite nursing an ill-handling machine. On the second-to-last lap, Andretti spun out and dropped to fourth while Rahal cruised to victory.[39][40][41]
1993: A controversial race filled with penalties from start to finish. At the green flag,Emerson Fittipaldi jumped the start from the outside of the front row, beating pole-sitterNigel Mansell to the line by almost two car lengths. Instead of waving off the start, official assessed Fittipaldi a stop-and-go penalty. Later in the racePaul Tracy was penalized for breaking the 80 mph pit road speed limit (clocked at 93 mph), andNigel Mansell was accused of blatant blocking.[42]Danny Sullivan took the lead on lap 48. In the closing laps,Galles Racing teammates Sullivan andAl Unser Jr. were running 1st-2nd. On lap 69, Unser challenged Sullivan for the lead, but was forced down to the inside, and knocked down three cones. Officials charged Unser with going off-course, and assessed him a stop-and-go penalty. On a restart with four laps to go, rookieRobby Gordon driving forFoyt, tried to pass Sullivan for the lead, but was squeezed down and had to back off.[43][44] Moments later, Gordon spun out with a cut tire. Danny Sullivan went on to win the race, his final win in Indy car competition.[45][46]
1994:Penske teammatesAl Unser Jr.,Paul Tracy, andEmerson Fittipaldi were running 1st-2nd-3rd on a restart on lap 55. Tracy was on the back bumper of Unser, as Unser was dicing through backmarker traffic. Going into turn 8, Tracy ran into the back of Unser's car, sending him sliding head-on into a tire barrier. Tracy went on to win the race, with Fittipaldi second. Unser rejoined the field and finished 10th.[47][48]
1995:Robby Gordon started from the pole position and led 43 of the 77 laps en route to victory. Gordon led the first eight laps, but slipped down in the standings after suffering tire wear. Gordon switched to the optional harder tire compound, and charged back to the front. He took the lead with 35 laps to go, and held offJimmy Vasser for the win.[49]
1996: Heavy rain fell in the morning, and continued to fall during the first 25 laps.Christian Fittipaldi led 64 of the first 65 laps, but a late caution came out whenBobby Rahal slid into a tire barrier. On a restart on lap 66,Michael Andretti battled Fittipaldi for the lead coming out of turn four. Fittipaldi locked up the brakes, and slid high in turn five, which allowed Andretti to drive by and take the lead. The race was shortened from 77 to 72 laps due to a two-hour time limit. Andretti became the first and only driver to win at both the downtown Renaissance Center circuit and theBelle Isle circuit.[50][51]
1997: At the white flag,Maurício Gugelmin ledMark Blundell andGreg Moore, with all three cars running nose-to-tail.PacWest Racing teammates Gugelmin and Blundell were running very low on fuel, attempting to stretch their tanks to the finish. Gugelmin ran out of fuel on the Strand Drive backstretch, and seconds later Blundell ran out of fuel as he approached the final turn. Greg Moore slipped by to take the lead and scored the victory.[52][53]
1998: A slightly reconfigured layout was introduced for 1998. Several tight and slow corners were replaced with a longer straightaway, and potentially better passing zones.Alex Zanardi battledGreg Moore during the early stages of the race. Moore pitted first on lap 24, while Zanardi stayed out two additional laps. Zanardi's light fuel load, and lightning-fast in-lap, put him back out on the track ahead of Moore. Zanardi led the final 50 laps to victory, and celebrated by performingdonuts on his victory lap.[54][55]
1999: The race was moved to August to avoid a conflict with theNASCARMichigan 400.[56] In a race that was described as "ugly," several crashes were capped off by a bizarre finish under yellow. On the first lap,Max Papis touched wheels withPatrick Carpentier, and crashed into a tire barrier. On lap 25,Maurício Gugelmin tangled withCristiano da Matta, and flip upside-down, landing on top of Carpentier's car. Twenty laps later, de Matta suffered a hard crash in turn two, collectingAl Unser Jr. Under caution late in the race, a fuel leak from the pace car caused a confusing delay, requiring officials to bring out a back-up pace car. With some drivers anticipating a restart,Hélio Castroneves ran into the back ofJuan Pablo Montoya. The race hit the two-hour time limit, and finished under yellow with Team Kool Green driversDario Franchitti first, andPaul Tracy second.[57][58]
2000: PolesitterJuan Pablo Montoya led 59 of the first 60 laps, but dropped out with a broken driveshaft.Hélio Castroneves took the lead on lap 62, and led the final 24 laps en route to his first career CART series victory. On his victory lap, Castroneves stopped his car on the frontstretch, jumped from cockpit, and climbed up the catchfence to celebrate his victory.[59]
2001:Hélio Castroneves started from the pole position and led wire-to-wire to win the Detroit Grand Prix in back-to-back years. Castroneves survived a minor scare when telemetry indicated a pressure leak in his left front tire. After the victory, Castroneves once again jumped from his car and climbed the catchfence in his signature "Spiderman" celebration.[60][61] This would be the final CART series race at Detroit.
2007: After a six-year absence, open wheel racing returned to Detroit. The Indy cars utilized the original "short" course layout, previously raced on from 1992 to 1997. After the final series of pit stops, a four-car battle at the front ensued.Tony Kanaan was leading, and second placeBuddy Rice ran out of fuel. Third placeScott Dixon took evasive action to get by Rice, which crashed out both cars. The pileup collectedDario Franchitti as well.Danica Patrick slipped by the crash and took a career-best second place, while Kanaan went on to win.
2008: Originally scheduled for 90 laps, the race was shortened to 87 laps due to two-hour limit. Late in the race,Justin Wilson was challengingHélio Castroneves for the lead. Officials ruled that Castroneves intentionally blocked, resulting in a penalty which allowed Wilson to take the lead. Despite a late push by Castroneves, Wilson won the race, his first-career Indy car victory.[62][63] Wilson's win was the 107th and final Championship Car victory forNewman/Haas Racing, and occurred just weeks before the death of co-ownerPaul Newman.[64][65][63]
2012: After a three-year hiatus, the Detroit Grand Prix returned to the IndyCar calendar. For 2012, the race was moved to the weekend immediately following theIndianapolis 500. The race was shortened from 90 laps to 60 laps due to a disintegrating track.James Hinchcliffe's car dislodged a chunk of the pavement, and crashed into a tire barrier. Officials discovered other parts of the track that were damaged, and a red flag was put out to make repairs. Rain also began to fall.Scott Dixon won the race from the pole position.
2013 (Race 1): For 2013, the "long" course layout was revived, and the race was now part of a doubleheader weekend. During the first race on Saturday,Mike Conway started second and led 47 laps en route to victory. Conway passedRyan Hunter-Reay for the lead on lap 44. He then built a 20-second lead before the final round of pit stops. Conway's margin of victory was 12.9707 seconds over Hunter-Reay.Dario Franchitti, who won the pole position, was issued a grid penalty for an unapproved engine change, and started 11th. He improved to sixth place at the finish, whileScott Dixon who had to pit for wing damage suffered due to contact on lap 1, charged from 24th place to 4th.
2013 (Race 2): On Sunday,Mike Conway started on the pole position, attempting to sweep the weekend. However, multiple cautions and different race strategies jumbled the field, and he wound up third. On lap 24, the field was coming off a restart whenTristan Vautier touched wheels withTakuma Sato, sending Sato into the tire barrier in turn 3. On lap 28, the ensuing restart saw Conway leadingScott Dixon into turn one. Seconds later,Sebastien Bourdais tagged the back ofWill Power, triggering a ten-car pileup. In the second half, the race came down to Conway,Simon Pagenaud, andJames Jakes. On the final sequence of pit stops, Pagenaud emerged as the leader, with Jakes second, and Conway closing in third. Pagenaud drove to victory, by 5.6274 seconds. Jakes held off Conway for second place by 0.4342 seconds.
2014 (Race 1): On Saturday,Will Power held offGraham Rahal during the final ten laps and scored the first Indy car win at Detroit forChevrolet &GM since 1993. Just across the river from GM's headquarters at theRenaissance Center,Helio Castroneves started on the pole and led 30 laps. Power took the lead fromRyan Briscoe on a restart on lap 60. Rahal ran in second, less than a second behind Power. Rahal was able to keep up with Power over the final ten laps, but was unable to muster a pass for the lead.Tony Kanaan finished third, his 66th-career podium finish.
2014 (Race 2): On Sunday,Helio Castroneves drove to victory, completing aPenske andChevrolet sweep of the weekend. Castroneves was leadingWill Power by over 9 seconds with twenty laps to go, but a late-race caution bunched up the field. With six laps to go, Castroneves led, but another caution came out setting up one last restart. With three laps to go, Castroneves got the jump and won by 1.6836 seconds overWill Power. After the victory, Castroneves climbed the catchfence, repeating his signature celebration from the 2001 race.
2015: (Race 1): On Saturday, heavy rain and lightning in the area caused the race to be shortened from 70 to 47 laps.Carlos Munoz won, his first IndyCar victory.
2015: (Race 2): On Sunday, rain had washed out qualifying for the second race, and the field lined up by points. Several yellows slowed the race in the second half.Sébastien Bourdais was the winner.
2017 (Race 1): On Saturday,Graham Rahal led 55 of 70 laps to win, nearly 25 years to the day that his fatherBobby won the race. Rahal held off second placeScott Dixon, who was driving despite an injured ankle from a major crash the week earlier at theIndianapolis 500.
2017 (Race 2):Graham Rahal swept the weekend, winning Sunday's second race, leading 41 of 70 laps. With five laps to go, the first caution of the day came out whenJames Hinchcliffe stalled on the course, andSpencer Pigot's car was smoking. Officials red flagged the race on lap 67 in order to allow for a green flag finish, and cleaned up the incidents. Rahal held offJosef Newgarden in a two-lap dash to finish.
2021 (Race 1): The newRoger Penske led IndyCar returned to Detroit after the 2020 double header was canceled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. The controversial race sawScott Dixon take a large lead by starting the race on harder primary tires as opposed to the softer alternate tires used by the rest of the field. Dixon's strategy was upended when Arrow McLaren SP driverFelix Rosenqvist crashed at near full speed into a tire barrier, throwing a red flag that halted the race for over an hour. When the race restarted many drivers, including Dixon, broke off on the formation lap to pit for fresh tires, handing Will Power the lead as Power had pitted for his own set of tires right before the red flag.Marcus Ericsson also cycled to the front with Power based on similar strategy and challenged Power for the lead before a crash byRomain Grosjean caused another red flag to be thrown. When the formation lap on the track began Power's crew was unable to get his car to restart due to an overheatedECU, handing the lead to Ericsson who hung on for five more laps to win his first IndyCar race.Rinus VeeKay andPato O'Ward rounded out the podium.
2021 (Race 2):Josef Newgarden won his first of what would be three consecutive pole positions heading into the summer break and led most of the race despite several restarts by using a strategy that put him on the harder primary tires throughout the opening two thirds of the race. Although Newgarden and Penske executed a three stop strategy perfectly it left the two time series champion to face the unforgiving Belle Isle circuit with used softer compound alternate tires that degraded rapidly in the closing laps. Following a restart where he was unable to manage the tire wear Newgarden was overtaken by Pato O'Ward, who had overtaken five other drivers in a two lap span to challenge Newgarden. The second yearMcLaren driver then built a gap of over five seconds to the rest of the field to take his first win on a street course. Newgarden held off late charges byAlex Palou andColton Herta to stay in second place while Palou rounded out the podium.
2022: The final Detroit Grand Prix held on Belle Isle was moved from a double header to a single 70 lap race. Josef Newgarden qualified on pole but it would be his teammate Will Power who would dominate the race, charging through the field from 16th to take the lead early in the race and hanging onto it via virtue of a two stop strategy. Power's only threat on the day wasAlexander Rossi, who picked up his first podium of 2022. Scott Dixon finished in third place.
2023: For 2023 the Detroit Grand Prix returned to the Renaissance Center using a brand new condensed circuit around The Renaissance Center. Alex Palou qualified on pole, his first pole position on a street circuit. Palou would lead the entire race while a fierce battle for the remaining podium spots led to Will Power finishing second and Felix Rosenqvist rounding out the podium.
2024:Colton Herta qualified on pole. The first caution came out on lap 1 and resulted in a six car pile up, though all drivers in the pile up were able to continue. A second caution came on lap 19 whenHélio Castroneves spun and took out rookieKyffin Simpson. Rains arrived and the field was shuffled in a series of yellow flag pitstops, withChristian Lundgaard taking the lead in the sequence. When the rains stopped further caution periods sawScott Dixon take the lead around lap 74. Dixon would hold on for the win despite a hard pursuit by Marcus Ericsson in the late laps. Second year driverMarcus Armstrong would finish third.
2025:Kyle Kirkwood took the lead fromSantino Ferrucci and lap 79 and pulled away for a 3.5931 second victory. A major crash on lap 84 involving Felix Rosenqvist and Louis Foster brought out a red flag, but Kirkwood was able to get the jump on the restart and was not challenged. Ferrucci came home second, his best career finish, though he was penalized after the race for improper ballast. Indy 500 winner Alex Palou, who had won 5 of the first six races of the season, saw his first misfortune of the season. He crashed on lap 72 and placed 25th.
Starting in 1984, theSCCATrans-Am Series held a support race during the Grand Prix weekend. TheMotor City 100 was often regarded as one of the most important events of the Trans-Am schedule due to the increased television and sponsor exposure, made possible by the international broadcast of the Grand Prix. The Trans-Am race wasn't popular with the Formula One drivers though with the heavy and powerful Trans-Am cars with their huge rear wheels having a tendency to break up the track, already in a suspect state thanks to the heat of the summer when the races were scheduled. This often made the Grands Prix a more difficult prospect due to drivers having to go offline on to the 'dirty' part of the road to avoid problem areas on the track surface.
Emerson Fittipaldi
Michael Andretti
Paul Tracy
Alex Zanardi
Dario Franchitti
Hélio Castroneves
Scott Dixon
Simon Pagenaud
Will Power
Carlos Muñoz
Marcus Ericsson
Patricio O'Ward
Álex Palou
Tommy Byrne
Éric Bachelart
Dennis Hauger
Webb Jay
Marco Werner
Jan Magnussen
Mika Salo
Olivier Beretta
João Barbosa
