Iowa – Qualifying: Castroneves on pole, Bourdais in the wall
Helio Castroneves places his Penske on pole position for the IndyCar race on the small oval in Iowa. Sébastien Bourdais made a mistake. He will start 24th and last, even though he could have easily aimed for a top 10 in qualifying.
The Brazilian Helio Castroneves snatched the promised pole position from his compatriot Tony Kanaan. The latter was consistently at the top of the time sheets in practice sessions, while Castroneves never appeared to be in contention for a top 5. The Penske driver found an extra 6 km/h on a lap to secure a pole position at an average of 295 km/h over the two qualifying laps.
The Frenchmen Simon Pagenaud and Tristan Vautier are in 5th and 20th place. Graham Rahal is at a disadvantage for the championship, landing in 17th place while the other four title contenders are all in the top 6.
Bourdais, from “hero to zero”
During the second free practice session, Sébastien Bourdais was the first driver not from Penske or Ganassi, the two biggest teams in IndyCar at the moment. Unfortunately, the Frenchman couldn’t maintain this strong performance in qualifying. The driver from Le Mans lost control of his car on the first lap and spun before hitting the wall, damaging the rear right of his car.
The damage is minor, and KVSH No. 11 is confident it can start the race. After a stunning victory in Milwaukee, Sébastien Bourdais will start last on the grid at the Newton oval in Iowa. Conversely, Helio Castroneves finds himself in pole position after starting last in the Milwaukee race and finishing second behind Bourdais.
A succession of tributes
Tributes have followed one another in honor of Jules Bianchi. IndyCar drivers face the same risks as Formula 1 drivers. In May, James Hinchcliffe had a near-death experience after an accident during the Indianapolis 500 practice. The Canadian driver found himself trapped in his car with a suspension part lodged in his leg. He lost a lot of blood before being rushed to the hospital.
The race takes place on Saturday evening local time and will be broadcast on Sunday evening at 8:35 PM on Canal+ Sport.
In partnership with www.indycar.fr
| Pos. | N° | Driver | Manufacturer | Total Time | Avg. over 2 laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Helio Castroneves | Chevrolet | 35.0817 | 183.480 MPH |
| 2 | 10 | Tony Kanaan | Chevrolet | 35.1497 | 183.125 MPH |
| 3 | 2 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Chevrolet | 35.2302 | 182.707 MPH |
| 4 | 9 | Scott Dixon | Chevrolet | 35.2978 | 182.357 MPH |
| 5 | 22 | Simon Pagenaud | Chevrolet | 35.4397 | 181.627 MPH |
| 6 | 1 | Will Power | Chevrolet | 35.4400 | 181.625 MPH |
| 7 | 67 | Josef Newgarden | Chevrolet | 35.4905 | 181.367 MPH |
| 8 | 27 | Marco Andretti | Honda | 35.5465 | 181.081 MPH |
| 9 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Honda | 35.5934 | 180.843 MPH |
| 10 | 8 | Sage Karam (R) | Chevrolet | 35.6296 | 180.659 MPH |
| 11 | 20 | Ed Carpenter | Chevrolet | 35.6806 | 180.401 MPH |
| 12 | 26 | Carlos Munoz | Honda | 35.7442 | 180.080 MPH |
| 13 | 4 | Stefano Coletti (R) | Chevrolet | 35.7803 | 179.898 MPH |
| 14 | 7 | James Jakes | Honda | 35.9603 | 178.997 MPH |
| 15 | 14 | Takuma Sato | Honda | 36.0740 | 178.433 MPH |
| 16 | 83 | Charlie Kimball | Chevrolet | 36.1674 | 177.972 MPH |
| 17 | 15 | Graham Rahal | Honda | 36.1909 | 177.857 MPH |
| 18 | 25 | Justin Wilson | Honda | 36.1975 | 177.824 MPH |
| 19 | 5 | Ryan Briscoe | Honda | 36.3852 | 176.907 MPH |
| 20 | 19 | Tristan Vautier | Honda | 36.5196 | 176.256 MPH |
| 21 | 41 | Jack Hawksworth | Honda | 36.5199 | 176.255 MPH |
| 22 | 18 | Pippa Mann | Honda | 36.6118 | 175.812 MPH |
| 23 | 98 | Gabby Chaves (R) | Honda | 36.6419 | 175.668 MPH |
| 24 | 11 | Sebastien Bourdais | Chevrolet | No Time | No Speed |
