Alex Palou added one other milestone to his spectacular 2025 IndyCar season on Friday when he posted the biggest distinction for a pole-deciding lap in additional than two years. The hole? A major 0.4099s over Graham Rahal within the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing #15 automotive.
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 Romain Grosjean beat Colton Herta by 0.4155, each racing on the former Andretti Autosport operation.
Along with Palou’s feat on the timing sheet, the driving force of the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing automotive needed to overcome what he described as a “large 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
Photograph by: Penske Leisure
“Properly, I feel there’s a few issues,” Palou started later within the press convention to clarify his large hole in qualifying.
“The primary one, I feel 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 overall lap time. It was tremendous quick and it felt wonderful.
“I do not know if the monitor has improved a bit. In all probability sure, as a result of all people was like within the 69s, proper? All people was tremendous quick. So, yeah, I do not know. Possibly 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 will take it.”
Palou claimed he gave it his all, and had nothing left within the tank for that last lap to take his eighth profession IndyCar Collection pole, the second of 2025 and the second in a row on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway highway course.
“I feel 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 bought 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’ll find, however it was fairly good. I feel if somebody would have crushed us it will have been as a result of they have been sooner.”
Will used quali tires compromise his race?
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
Photograph by: Penske Leisure
Within the midst of pole place satisfaction, Palou admitted that he’ll face some challenges in immediately’s Sonsio Grand Prix, as he should use some tires he locked up in qualifying in a race that requires drivers to make use of two units of main and two units of alternate tires for not less than two full laps.
“I imply, it is by no means preferrred, 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 bought pole with them, however clearly it is not preferrred 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 may need through the race, Palou defined that there is a number of uncertainty round it and the way the drivers will cope with operating a compound that is not their desire.
“Truthfully I do not know. It will make it attention-grabbing in a method, of like, if the first or the laborious tire is dangerous or the pink 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 all people goes to undergo that.
“I feel all of the drivers they’ve a desire on which tire to run at all times, and tomorrow you can not have that desire. It’s worthwhile to be good. It’s worthwhile to be quick on each of them. So I do not know what’s that going to do for the race. Hopefully it will combine up a little bit little bit of issues. Not on our finish, hopefully. I’ve hopes that it will make the methods a bit crazier”.
Observe the IndyCar Sonsio Grand Prix and aftermath on the Motorsport.com IndyCar hub.
On this article
Federico Faturos
IndyCar
Andretti Autosport
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Chip Ganassi Racing
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