Alabama GP – Qualifying: Castroneves ahead of Power and Pagenaud

The Barber Motorsports Park circuit is one of the favorite destinations for IndyCar drivers. The hilly Alabama circuit features fast corners, banking braking zones, and one of the greatest elevation changes of the season.

This year, the use of aerodynamic kits adds a physical challenge: IndyCar single-seaters are not equipped with power steering, and the higher cornering speeds than last year increase the strain on the steering.

Castroneves on the attack

Under these conditions, veteran Helio Castroneves clinches his second consecutive pole position. The 39-year-old Brazilian is still chasing his first IndyCar title, having been a four-time runner-up. He leads the titleholder Will Power and the in-form Frenchman, Simon Pagenaud. Sébastien Bourdais, the KVSH-Chevrolet driver, falls just short of the top 6, right ahead of the first Honda, driven by Graham Rahal. Luca Filippi, the 2011 GP2 runner-up, achieves a commendable 9th place.

The qualifications went less well for Juan Pablo Montoya (15th), Stefano Coletti (16th), and Ryan Hunter-Reay (18th), the winner of the last two editions.

Seat and color changes

Rodolfo González, reserve driver for Marussia F1 in the last two seasons, is the surprise driver at the Barber race. He is Francesco Dracone’s one-day teammate at Dale Coyne Racing, the smallest team on the grid in terms of budget. He qualified 21st.

Sage Karam returns to the black and red No. 8 at Ganassi after the Long Beach interlude with Sebastian Saavedra. He will start 12th and as the best rookie. Sébastien Bourdais returns to his green and white livery (alternating with green and black). Helio Castroneves and Marco Andretti remain in blue and white for a second consecutive race.