St Petersburg GP – Qualifying: Power breaks the record

The dominant team of 2014 sends a strong message to the competition: its 4 drivers occupy the top two rows of the starting grid at the St Petersburg GP in Florida. Will Power, Simon Pagenaud, Helio Castroneves, and Juan Pablo Montoya are also the only ones to have been faster than the previous track record.

Not only did the reigning champion start first, but he also brought down the lap time in St. Petersburg to 1:00.6509, at an average speed of 171.94 km/h. The Australian has always been a notch above everyone else during the weekend. “It was close. All credit goes to the team. I’m happy to have the pole,” says Will Power.

It was the Frenchman Sébastien Bourdais who held the previous record since 2003, with a time of 1:00.928. Bourdais himself clocked in at 1:00.9378 during the second phase of qualifying, failing to beat his time from the Champ Car era.

The first Honda is that of Takuma Sato, in 5th place. The surprising Japanese driver, who was off the pace during pre-season testing, has found new life on a track that suits him. He was the pole sitter in the 2014 edition. Simona de Silvestro secures a solid 11th place on her return. Her teammate Marco Andretti woke up just in time to place 12th after average practice sessions.

Graham Rahal

On the disappointment side, we find Scott Dixon, only 9th. The New Zealander didn’t manage to get everything in order to achieve a good time, but he is a formidable competitor in the race. Graham Rahal, one of the best Honda drivers during pre-season tests, stated he was caught off guard by a poorly cleaned track after previous events organized on the circuit. He secured the 15th time. Stefano Coletti was on par with Bourdais during pre-season tests. The rookie couldn’t make up the half-second that separates him from his teammate. He ranks 17th.

The qualifying results in PDF:

Phase 1: Group 1 – Group 2

2nd phase: Fast 12

3rd phase: Fast 6

Combined Results: Final Ranking