Joy and (some) confusion: Twitter reacts to Alexander Rossi’s Indy 500 win

Winning the Indy 500 is a milestone achievement for any racing driver, being part of the Triple Crown of motorsport.

Winning the 100th running of the event though? That’s a surefire way to go down in the history books, as Alexander Rossi did, competing in his first Indy 500.

The American, who previously raced in F1 for Manor and Caterham and is currently Manor’s test driver, managed to coast across the line in sensational fashion. While rival racers opted for a splash and dash pit stop several laps from the end, Rossi managed to save fuel by coasting at every opportunity.

His motorsport peers across the pond expressed delight.

America’s ultimate motorsports weekend punctuated by @AlexanderRossi winning the 100th #Indy500 @IMS. Well done! 🇺🇸🏆👏

— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) May 29, 2016

WOW! Congratulations to our Reserve Driver @AlexanderRossi. Incredible achievement winning #Indy500 Enjoy your milk! https://t.co/PD5KGvLoLc

— Manor Racing (@ManorRacing) May 29, 2016

Huge congratulations to former #GP3 star @AlexanderRossi on winning the #Indy500 – incredible achievement – well done!

— GP3 Series Official (@GP3_Official) May 30, 2016

Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy! Big congratulations @AlexanderRossi #Indy500 https://t.co/iNnavahfZX

— James Allen (@Jamesallenonf1) May 29, 2016

Man.!!!! what a hero you are @AlexanderRossi #Indy500 congrats amigo

— Giedo van der Garde (@GvanderGarde) May 29, 2016

As did his IndyCar peers…

Congrats to @AlexanderRossi on a historic win at the 100th #Indy500! #INDYCARhttps://t.co/xfJLANXxfC

— IndyCar Series (@IndyCar) May 29, 2016

The amount of times @AlexanderRossi and I talked about the 500 when we raced in Europe… And now he’s here! So funny. Doin it for America👍

— Conor Daly (@ConorDaly22) May 29, 2016

.@AlexanderRossi Wins the 100th Running of the #Indy500 presented by @PennGrade Motor Oil – https://t.co/zGu8slHHhv pic.twitter.com/EhBtJN4Wiv

— Indy Motor Speedway (@IMS) May 29, 2016

The Good thing is that my team and team mate won the race.. Congrats on the win @AlexanderRossi @FollowAndretti

— Carlos Munoz (@CarlosMunoz034) May 29, 2016

Congrats to @AlexanderRossi & @BryanHerta @FollowAndretti – brilliant strategy & tough to pull off behind the wheel

— Ryan Hunter-Reay (@RyanHunterReay) May 29, 2016

.@TownsendBell and @JosefNewgarden have a close moment in Turn 1. #INDYCAR #Indy500 https://t.co/1I2Xejdij6 https://t.co/h9bjbaC966

— IndyCar Series (@IndyCar) May 29, 2016

“Who is Alex Rossi?” wondered a few social media users…

Just how many people have Googled “Alexander Rossi” since he won the #Indy500 earlier today? Honestly, who is this guy? #AlexanderRossi

— John Franklin Hay (@indybikehiker) May 29, 2016

Andretti luck turned around! Great race. Who is Alexander rossi though

— Dale Kocher (@dale_kocher) May 29, 2016

who is Alexander Rossi? wow

— Bill Stathopoulos (@vstathop) May 29, 2016

The race wasn’t without incident though…

REPLAY: @RyanHunterReay and @TownsendBell make contact in pit lane. #Indy500 #INDYCAR #INDYRIVALS https://t.co/5WTxp5GMsT

— IndyCar Series (@IndyCar) May 29, 2016

REPLAY: Juan Pablo Montoya makes contact with T2. He’s been checked, cleared and released. #INDYCAR #Indy500 https://t.co/ZE9uCwS7bc

— IndyCar Series (@IndyCar) May 29, 2016

Back of the Field, Car 12 – Unsafe Release from Pit Box (7.10.1.10). #Indy500 #INDYCAR https://t.co/fYw5x2ANpU

— IndyCar Series (@IndyCar) May 29, 2016

.@TownsendBell and @JosefNewgarden have a close moment in Turn 1. #INDYCAR #Indy500 https://t.co/1I2Xejdij6 https://t.co/h9bjbaC966

— IndyCar Series (@IndyCar) May 29, 2016

 

Header image via Indycar Series/Chris Owens.