21 cars within the same second at the Barber tests
While there are only 2 cars within the same second at the front in F1, the spectacle promises to be different in IndyCar with the top 21 grouped within 991 thousandths of a second!
A handful of drivers had begun testing at NOLA Motorsports on Saturday, March 14th, but these were not timed. Two days later, it was at the Barber Motorsports road circuit that the entire IndyCar field (except for Simona De Silvestro – likely due to logistical issues – and Ed Carpenter, who only races on ovals) gathered for a full-scale test.
In addition to expressing their eagerness to get back behind the wheel in IndyCar, all the drivers unanimously praised the aerodynamic advancements of the new Chevrolet and Honda kits. “It’s a new era,” says Simon Pagenaud. “I believe you will see a number of track records fall,” warns Scott Dixon. “It’s a significant change in driving enjoyment.”
The teams are working on the wing adjustments, on the weight distribution, and on understanding mass transfers according to the nature of the turns, particularly the fast turns: Barber is a very fast circuit, says Josef Newgarden. When the cars are loaded to the maximum and we try to race with as much aerodynamic downforce as possible, it becomes very physical. It’s going to be quite a challenge. I can already feel my neck.
Chevrolet at the forefront
On the first day of testing, Honda did not really trouble the American brand. Ryan Hunter Reay clocked the 6th fastest time, 4 tenths of a second off the top. The 2012 champion had complained about not finding grip during the morning session. On the second day, it was Graham Rahal, with his orange “McLaren” single-seater, who set the best time for the Japanese engine manufacturer with an impressive 5th place, just over 2 tenths of a second behind Scott Dixon’s time.
© IndyCar – La monoplace de Graham Rahal portant la couleur de Bruce McLaren
Penske still in the game
Over the 2 days, it’s Dixon each time who sets the fastest time on his Ganassi-Chevrolet, in the last minutes of the sessions. On the first day, the three-time champion narrowly beats the 4 Penske team drivers: Pagenaud, Power, Montoya, and Castroneves. Simon Pagenaud seems particularly in form, being in the top 5 in three out of four sessions. The Frenchman is one of the highlights of the moment; undoubtedly the most media-followed driver since the start of the tests.
The 2014 pole broken… on hard tires!
From the first morning of testing, Will Power beat his pole position from last year (1:08.312) by more than 7 tenths of a second… on hard tires, while he had set the best time in 2014 on soft tires. The next day, he gained a full second compared to that same pole with 1 minute, 7 seconds, and 311.8 milliseconds on one lap.
The record at Barber is still held by Dixon. The New Zealander benefited from more favorable track conditions to set a time of 1:06.775 in the early phases of the 2013 qualifications. There is no doubt that this time could be beaten this year.
© IndyCar – Scott Dixon
21 cars in 1 second!
Barber’s tests are also reassuring for the IndyCar show. With the arrival of aero kits, there was a risk that one manufacturer would overpower the other, resulting in significant performance gaps.
On the contrary, 21 out of the 22 cars on track found themselves within the same second per lap during the last session… the time it takes to say “one second,” and there you have 21 IndyCars passing in front of you! In combined time over the four practice sessions, there’s only 0.1 second between the 3rd and 9th fastest times.
Note:
– Sage Karam, champion Indy Lights 2013 et rookie en IndyCar, n’a effectué que 3 tours avant de sortir de piste. Blessé à la main, il devrait tout de même reprendre le volant pour les essais suivants.
– Francesco Dracone, dont le plus grand fait d’arme est une 13ème place finale en AutoGP, était présent avec Dale Coyne Racing, la structure qui faisait courir le multiple vainqueur Justin Wilson (absent par manque de budget). L’italien devrait participer aux 4 premières courses de l’année. La monoplace de Dale Coyne était présente avec le nouveau fond plat mais l’ancien kit aéro de Dallara, moins efficace. En temps combiné, Dracone a décroché le dernier temps à 3,4 secondes… de l’avant dernier (si on exclu le temps de Sage Karam).
– Stefano Coletti, en provenance du GP2, a surpris tout le monde en signant le 3ème meilleur temps combiné. Le Monégasque fait jeu égal avec son coéquipier Sébastien Bourdais. Il est, de loin, le meilleur rookie 2015 lors de ces tests.
Links to the timesheets: session 1 / session 2 / session 3 / session 4 / combined times of the 4 sessions
Column naming: position / car number / driver name / C/E/T: Chassis (Dallara), Engine (Chevrolet or Honda), tires (Firestone) / session number / time / speed (in miles per hour) / total laps completed.
Private pre-season tests will continue next week at the Sebring circuit and the NOLA Motorsports Park. The Andretti team will also conduct Honda aero kit development sessions on the Texas Motor Speedway oval.
The inaugural race will take place in St. Petersburg, Florida, on March 29.
Training of a pit stop at CFH Racing for Luca Filippi:
