Legham777 won the Texas D2 race from fifth on the grid, claiming a first IMS victory for McLaren. Aban-96- finished second from fourth, with pole-sitter Jean_Claude04 third.
The winner made the largest gain among the top three: four positions, compared with two for Aban and a two-place loss for Jean_Claude04. Texas rewarded the driver who started furthest back on its podium.
A first win without pole-position assistance
That route distinguishes the breakthrough. Legham777 did not inherit a front-row platform; the official grid and result show a climb from the third row to P1.
McLaren's victory arrived in a division whose constructors' table was still led by Ferrari on 115 points. One race had produced a fresh winner without immediately rewriting the team hierarchy.
The result gives D2 another winner
A first win expands the set of credible front-runners because it creates an actual result rather than a projection. Legham777 left Texas with that proof in the record.
Mexico came next, but Texas had already supplied McLaren's driver with the most important conversion available: P5 on the grid became P1 when it counted.
/austin-start-2023-1.webp)
