IndyCar Long Beach: Ex-Formula 1 driver Alexander Rossi takes pole
Andretti Autosport's Alexander Rossi continued his strong start to 2018, taking pole position for the third race of the IndyCar season at Long Beach by over three-tenths
Practice pacesetter Rossi claimed his second-ever pole in the series with a 1m06.5528s on his one and only run in the final qualifying session, putting a Honda-powered car at the top of the pile.
Rossi beat the Chevrolet-propelled Penske of Will Power by 0.3526s in the final part of practice, which is reserved for the top six drivers from the previous session to fight it out for pole.
Power's team-mate Simon Pagenaud completed the top three, just 0.0053s further adrift.
Points leader and reigning champion Josef Newgarden was on course to beat both of his Penske stable-mates Power and Pagenaud before a mistake at Turn 8 reduced him to sixth, leaving Scott Dixon (Ganassi) to take fourth ahead of Graham Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Rossi's Andretti team-mate Ryan Hunter-Reay was left baffled after he received a drive-through penalty mid-session for a pitlane exit infringement, he could only manage seventh despite topping the opening qualifying group.
Defending Long Beach winner James Hinchcliffe was eighth fastest for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, ahead of Dale Coyne's Sebastien Bourdais.
Hinchcliffe's SPM team-mate Robert Wickens rounded out the top 10, failing to make the final six for the first time in his rookie season in IndyCar.
Series veteran Tony Kanaan was 11th ahead of British rookie Jordan King who qualified 12th on his second appearance of the year with Ed Carpenter Racing, edging out last year's top newcomer Ed Jones and fellow rookie Matheus Leist.
Max Chilton's 15th place marked Carlin's best qualifying of its IndyCar venture so far, with his team-mate Charlie Kimball 23rd.
Slowest of all was 2017 IndyLights champion Kyle Kaiser, who damaged his left-rear tyre after contact with the barriers at Turn 9.
Starting grid:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 1m06.5528s | - |
| 2 | Will Power | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m06.9054s | 0.3526s |
| 3 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m06.9107s | 0.3579s |
| 4 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 1m07.0483s | 0.4955s |
| 5 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Dallara/Honda | 1m07.1275s | 0.5747s |
| 6 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m07.1922s | 0.6394s |
| 7 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 1m07.1415s | - |
| 8 | James Hinchcliffe | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Dallara/Honda | 1m07.1899s | - |
| 9 | Sebastien Bourdais | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda | 1m07.1943s | - |
| 10 | Robert Wickens | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Dallara/Honda | 1m07.2289s | - |
| 11 | Tony Kanaan | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m07.3478s | - |
| 12 | Jordan King | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m07.6427s | - |
| 13 | Ed Jones | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 1m08.3844s | - |
| 14 | Matheus Leist | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m08.1622s | - |
| 15 | Max Chilton | Carlin | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m08.7167s | - |
| 16 | Zach Veach | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 1m08.1763s | - |
| 17 | Jack Harvey | Michael Shank Racing | Dallara/Honda | 1m08.8207s | - |
| 18 | Spencer Pigot | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m08.2739s | - |
| 19 | Gabby Chaves | Harding Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m08.8623s | - |
| 20 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Herta | Dallara/Honda | 1m08.5294s | - |
| 21 | Zachary Claman | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda | 1m09.1429s | - |
| 22 | Takuma Sato | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Dallara/Honda | 1m08.6340s | - |
| 23 | Charlie Kimball | Carlin | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m09.7481s | - |
| 24 | Kyle Kaiser | Juncos Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | - | - |
Previous article
James Davison gets Foyt Indy 500 deal, total entry hits 35 cars
Next article
IndyCar Long Beach: Rossi dominates race, beats Power in late showdown
About this article
| Series | IndyCar |
| Drivers | Alexander Rossi |
| Author | Josh Suttill |
The Indycar season that proves Michael Andretti is better than F1 showed
Often unfairly characterised as a car-breaker, judged for his lack of an Indianapolis 500 win and a disappointing part-season of Formula 1 in 1993, Michael Andretti was highly respected by his rivals and only thwarted greater success by ill-fortune. When it all came together in 1991, he was a truly formidable force
How McLaren is striving towards IndyCar's elite
The second year of McLaren's full-time IndyCar return is looming, with Patricio O'Ward and Felix Rosenqvist leading its line-up. Strong team personnel and work behind the scenes means that 2021 could be the year it joins the established elite
The enigmatic legacy of a misunderstood Indy stalwart
Flashes of brilliance amid spells of obscurity have been too common for Marco Andretti. While the third-generation racer has opted to bring his full-time IndyCar career to a close, his peaks and troughs have never been for want of trying
Why American racing's top dog is without equal
A byword for success in business and in motorsport for over 50 years, Roger Penske's importance to the US scene cannot be understated. In an exclusive interview, the custodian of the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway reflects on his journey
The McLaren that rendered its Indy rivals obsolete
When founder Bruce McLaren died in June 1970, his team could have folded. Instead, his loyal band rallied to produce a string of winners - including an Indycar game-changer that won its third Indianapolis 500 five years after its debut
Why Newgarden's best IndyCar season yet wasn't enough
Josef Newgarden feels he didn't put a foot wrong in 2020, yet his finest season-long run of performances failed to yield a third series championship. But in a warning shot to Scott Dixon, Team Penske's team leader has vowed to redouble his efforts in 2021
How Dixon held on in IndyCar's most unpredictable season
Three wins on the trot gave the Chip Ganassi Racing superstar the cushion he needed to hang on for a sixth title in the face of Josef Newgarden's late challenge. Here's the rundown of a typically frantic IndyCar campaign in an extraordinary year
The balancing act required for improving racing at Indy
Calls for an improvement in the racing spectacle at the Indianapolis 500 have been met with small aerodynamic tweaks from IndyCar on superspeedways. But where such high speeds are involved, even minor adjustments require significant planning
