Álex Palou once again confirms his status as a benchmark in the IndyCar Series by taking pole position at the Barber Motorsports Park circuit where Romain Grosjean climbed to sixth place.
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The Chip Ganassi Racing driver, four-time defending champion and big favorite on this type of track, dominated a highly contested qualifying session, already marking his territory for this fourth round of the season.
The first event of the year held on a permanent road circuit, Barber was an important test for the championship hierarchy. And as expected, Palou was imperial there.
Palou in charge
Comfortable in the fast and technical sequences of this demanding track, the Spaniard finished ahead of David Malukas (Team Penske), confirming that the transition to road circuits could be particularly favorable for him this season.
Behind, the session highlighted a great diversity of performance with six different teams represented in the top 6, a sign of the current competitiveness of the IndyCar field.
We find: Graham Rahal (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) in third position, Marcus Armstrong (Meyer Shank Racing) fourth, championship leader Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti Global) fifth and Romain Grosjean (Dale Coyne Racing) sixth
Grosjean finds his form again
Grosjean’s performance is one of the highlights of this session. The Frenchman had qualified well at the opening meeting in St Petersburg, finishing in the top 10, but had been in difficulty during the last two rounds in Phoenix and Arlington. He thus returns to a solid level of performance on a circuit he knows well.
Present in Q3, the final decisive part of IndyCar qualifying called “Firestone Fast Six”, he confirms his ease on road tracks, where his European experience often makes the difference. A positive signal for the rest of the weekend.
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Significant incidents
The session was not without scares. Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske) was the victim of an impressive exit during free practice by passing through the protection mesh, without physical consequences, but which disrupted his preparation. He will finally start 14e after narrowly failing to access Q2.
Even more spectacular, Will Power’s (Andretti Global) accident from Q1. Victim of a brake failure at the end of the straight line, the Australian hit the wall violently. Fortunately unharmed, he will start only 23e, very far from his usual standards.
Finally, Mick Schumacher (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) continues to experience adaptation difficulties and will start at the back of the grid, without having been able to exploit a circuit that is nevertheless close to European references.
An open race despite the pole
If Palou will logically start as favorite, the density of the field and the variety of teams at the front suggest a strategic and contested race.
With such a homogeneous pack and reduced gaps, tire management, strategy and neutralizations could play a determining role in the outcome of this fourth round.
The Alabama Grand Prix is to be followed live on Canal + Sport starting from 20h15 this Sunday.
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