within the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing #15 automobile.
You’d should go all the best way again to March 2023 at St. Pete to discover a bigger margin for pole place in IndyCar, the day teammates beat by 0.4155, each racing on the former Andretti Autosport operation.
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Along with Palou’s feat on the timing sheet, the driving force of the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing automobile needed to overcome what he described as a “huge time” entrance proper tire lockup in flip one to start out his first flying lap in a brand new alternate set within the Quick Six, which prompted him to desert his first try earlier than placing down a scorching 1:09.3417 lap to safe the pole.
”All people was tremendous quick”Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi RacingPenske Leisure
Penske Leisure
“Effectively, I believe there’s a few issues,” Palou started later within the press convention to elucidate his huge hole in qualifying.
“The primary one, I believe I used to be the one one on sticker alternates in Quick Six, that is why the larger distinction to P2. I used to be additionally stunned by the full lap time. It was tremendous quick and it felt superb.
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“I do not know if the monitor has improved a bit. Most likely sure, as a result of everyone was like within the 69s, proper? All people was tremendous quick. So, yeah, I do not know. Perhaps it was the wind altering a little bit bit, however I might see on the delta that I used to be gaining like half a tenth, half a tenth, and I used to be like, all proper, I am going to take it.”
Palou claimed he gave it his all, and had nothing left within the tank for that remaining lap to take his eighth profession IndyCar Sequence pole, the second of 2025 and the second in a row on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway highway course.
“I believe the tires have been already on the restrict. Like, you had two good laps. In our case, it was the second lap. It did not assist that we acquired a lock on the primary lap, however we did not actually lose a lot on the primary lap as a result of we have been at all times, like, two-tenths slower. After that, the tires simply began to present out.
“Additionally, from a driving standpoint, despite the fact that I noticed that it was going quick, you by no means know if someone else is having the identical factor, proper? You retain pushing. Yeah, clearly there’s at all times time that you will discover, however it was fairly good. I believe if somebody would have overwhelmed us it might have been as a result of they have been sooner.”
Will used quali tires compromise his race?Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi RacingPenske Leisure
Penske Leisure
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Within the midst of pole place satisfaction, Palou admitted that he’ll face some challenges in right now’s Sonsio Grand Prix, as he must use some tires he locked up in qualifying in a race that requires drivers to make use of two units of major and two units of alternate tires for not less than two full laps.
“I imply, it is by no means supreme, proper, to do an enormous lock-up. I did one other one in Quick 12 in Flip 7. I imply, they’re okay as a result of we acquired pole with them, however clearly it is not supreme to have an enormous lock-up on them […] I will be crying throughout that stint tomorrow.”
When requested in regards to the influence the change in tire utilization might need through the race, Palou defined that there is lots of uncertainty round it and the way the drivers will cope with working a compound that is not their desire.
“Truthfully I do not know. It is going to make it fascinating in a method, of like, if the first or the onerous tire is dangerous or the purple tire is dangerous, dangerous in a method of not being quick and having extra degradation, you are simply going to should do it once more, and everyone goes to undergo that.
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“I believe all of the drivers they’ve a desire on which tire to run at all times, and tomorrow you can not have that desire. You must be good. You must be quick on each of them. So I do not know what’s that going to do for the race. Hopefully it should combine up a little bit little bit of issues. Not on our finish, hopefully. I’ve hopes that it should make the methods a bit crazier”.
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