Tagliani: Team will get even better

Multiple Indy Lights title-winning team boss Schmidt took over the squad, formerly known as FAZZT, during the winter. The former driver, who was paralysed in a testing crash in 2000, had not run a full-time IndyCar programme with his team since 2002.

"This is a reward for Sam as well," Tagliani said of his pole. "He got involved and helped to continue it. He's an amazing team leader and this is a great result for him. I hope there's more to come."

Tagliani had initially founded FAZZT with Canadian businessman Andre Azzi, but said he was finding the collaboration with Schmidt much more rewarding.

"We don't put our sweat, our tears, our effort just to come here and parade and just say we're part of the Indy 500 or we're just going to compete in IndyCar," said Tagliani.

"And this year it was even more, because for me when I started, I had this discussion many times, it's like last year we didn't have a leader. I accepted to start this team because it was my opportunity to be in the seat. I wanted to be in the seat.

"But now we have a leader in Sam, who has shown trust in us very quickly, and that's why the chemistry just continues. Just now we want to win for our leader, because there's a lot more pride when there's someone on top that controls us and gives us a direction than when the driver is in the seat and his partner is in Montreal. It was the wrong, I think, structure. I think there's more to come from this."

Tagliani is Schmidt's only full-time IndyCar driver, but at Indianapolis the team is also running Townsend Bell, and assisting with Bryan Herta Autosport's programme with Dan Wheldon, Rahal Letterman Lanigan's entry for Jay Howard, and the car Dragon Racing is fielding for Ho-Pin Tung.

According to Tagliani, not being a one-man band this month has made a crucial difference.

"It's not very easy to be a one-car team on the weekends," he admitted. "Normally we don't have the luxury to have people like Dan Wheldon and Townsend Bell to come and look at data and work together and improve bit by bit when it's getting so competitive.

"And that's why teams like Ganassi and Penske have multiple cars, because they feel like it's an advantage.

"So this year I think it's just because we have been strong last year and over the winter, the crew and the engineering group built on it with very little change aerodynamically in the car and in the tyres, it shows the potential that this team has.

"When we're in the window and we unload fast, I think we're pretty much on the top. But it's difficult when we unload and we're not in the window; being a one-car team at road courses we're struggling a bit because we're throwing the dice. But here I think it's a good place to show that the team is very, very strong."